March of Skeletons
by Nanomemes
Summary: Zombie Apocalypse in SouthTown.
1. Welcome to Iowa Baby!

Author's Notes:

* There will be very few Original Characters in this story. They will typically go unnamed and exist for the sake of story progression. (RIP OldMan).

* I try to keep personalities as faithful as possible to canon, but there are bound to be some discrepancies. Do not complain about them.

*I don't know how to use tenses.

Trivia in Footnotes.

* * *

Five Hours.

It's been five Hours since the streets of SouthTown fell silent. The air was humid and sticky, and the smell of rotting flesh hung in the air. A low thudding reverberated through the floor, constant, like a metronome or a heartbeat. The morning sun peeked over the horizon and shed a dim opaque light over the empty town.

It was 5am, and Kyo Kusanagi sat on the edge of a building surveying the scene beneath him. He had not slept well, and stared tiredly down the streets of the desolate city. He spotted a few figures shuffle out of the building next to his. Two men and a woman. Two of them looked physically sound, however one them had twisted his ankle nearly all the way off. He staggered forward on exposed tendons and bones. Kyo winced- the sight reminded him of his own past injuries. Tournaments were viciously brutal, but there was always medical personnel at hand during the events. The true danger usually stemmed from whichever evil organization hijacked the competition for their own goals.

Or from that shithead Yagami.

It wasn't so much when he fought his rival. Kyo was no slouch, the proud Scion of Flame could hold his own against that red- haired nightmare. When they clashed, they were usually interrupted before anybody was seriously hurt. Mostly because they fought with fire, and someone always called the police.

No, it was when Yagami caught him by surprise.

That asshole had behaved himself relatively well while they were a team: Yagami, Shingo and himself. And just when he had gotten used to the idea of trusting his worst enemy to watch his back, Yagami just _had_ to completely lose his mind. It is terrifying to fight somebody who has no regard for their own welfare.

Later, in the hospital, Shingo told him that Yagami would have eaten him alive had Ash not stolen the Yakasani Jewel. Kyo didn't doubt it.

 _Crk._ Kyo started out of his reminiscing. He had inadvertently balled up his fists and cracked one of his knuckles. Rousing himself, he stood and stretched, knocking over the steel baseball bat that had been his constant companion since yesterday.

Kyo stepped over his bag - packed with water and granola bars - and walked over to the hatch that led inside the building, the previous evening he had pushed a heavy oil drum over it. As he approached the thumping grew louder and more frantic - he could make out faint sobbing. The person on the other side of the hatch was a pretty young lady. She had a blue headband and had an eye gouged out. And, like most of the remaining citizens of SouthTown, she wanted nothing more than to sink her teeth in him.

But she wasn't dead. No, had she been a zombie Kyo would be having a field day, running about torching the shuffling hordes. He had always imagined such a scenario, from video games or horror movies, being the hero and exterminating the undead. However, these people, these 'infected', were alive, and were under the influence of some - disease? or curse? Kyo was no detective, and he didn't care to discover the source of the infection. It already hurt him enough to kill unarmed civilians, all he wanted was to get out of SouthTown.

Kyo imagined the city people understood this - these people were not zombies. SouthTown was in America, the land of the free, the land of the armed. A true zombie apocalypse would be put down really quickly here. Shooting corpses was gross, but nobody carried guilt for doing so. However, killing a sentient person screaming at you to stay away, and sobbing as they approached you was a whole-nother story. Nobody liked to do that sort of thing - so they ran. They would rather run than kill their neighbors. That's why the infection spread as much as it has.

The only reason Kyo was even here, was he had gotten lost during evacuation chaos. His English was spotty at best, and he had planned to get around using old tournament allies and charades. But the government warning was issued, and suddenly everyone willing and able to help him fled.

The outbreak had become rampant late last night, there was chaos in the streets, people. Cars. Bicycles. Helicopters, all meshed in a frenzy. Naturally, not everyone was able to leave in time - many people had been asleep in their beds when the warning came.

It had been five hours since rescue operations ceased and the people stopped clamoring. Everyone was either dead, or infected. Maybe there were a few survivors left, but Kyo hadn't encountered anyone else.

He was standing on top of a building with no idea where he should go. The labyrinthine city stretched out before him in every direction. To make matters worse, Kyo only had a Japanese SIM in his possession - calls and texts only, no Internet. No news. No translation. No GPS. His battery was running low.

It was becoming hot. The humidity had soaked into his clothes and the sun grew in strength, beating down on his black jacket. Kyo was wearing long pants and long sleeves, and he wished to take them off, but dared not. He couldn't afford to be infected. He was the Kusanagi heir. He wouldn't be taken down by some zombie disease.

He saw a person fall under the curse yesterday, an old shopkeeper. The poor old man had been set upon by a group of teenage thugs, Kyo stepped in to help and sent them off with a sound beating, noticing they behaved strangely - but thinking nothing of it. Perhaps they were druggies.

The shopkeeper was mostly unharmed, but had sustained a light scratch down his arm, enough to draw blood, but was not nearly deep enough to bleed as much as it did. When Kyo questioned him, the old man said the blood wasn't his, it belonged to one of the assailants. Kyo was surprised that the Mexican man knew enough japanese to communicate this to him. The old man bandaged himself up, and handed Kyo a can of soda for his troubles.

Hours later, Kyo saw the Shopkeeper in the park. He was breathing raggedly and staggered about. It reminded him of a rabid dog - or rather - a rabid dog trying not to attack his master. Kyo's gut told him to stay well away. His instincts proved right. The shopkeeper's will seemed to visibly cave, and he attacked a nearby businessman. The old man cried as he did so.

As the sun rose higher, more and more people populated the streets. All of them infected. They shuffled out of buildings and into the sunlight. Some cried, simply stared listlessly, others cursed under their breath. All of them were conscious and seemed to be driven by an unseen force, the force of routine maybe? He couldn't think of any other explanation for why they all went inside for the night. Kyo averted his eyes from the sad, shuffling crowd. He had to get moving.

The fighter grabbed his duffel bag, stuffed his baseball bat inside it, and eyed the building next to his. The roof was sealed off and there were no people visible on it, they might be hiding behind the air conditioner, or the various tanks that littered the building top. It was about ten feet away, he would make it- He had to. The infected always knew where he was, perhaps they hunted by smell? Who knows. The people in the street had already begun congregating around the building he was standing atop. Soon they would crowd up the stairs, and push through to the roof.

Kyo made the leap, landing soundly on the roof of the next building. He pulled out his baseball bat and checked the area, preparing to smash the legs of any infected he found. He had his leg broken before, it was awful, but it was better than being killed - especially if a cure was to be found. He could use his fists, but he didn't want to get up close and personal with the unwilling assailants. Besides, most of them had blood on their fingertips and teeth, should they get too near and scratch him… well he wouldn't let that happen.

Kyo had just finished checking the rooftop when his cell phone beeped. "Finally some news" Kyo muttered to himself, he sat in the shade of the air conditioner to escape the heat and the sun's glare.

 _Kyo, this is Terry._

 _Me, Mai and Andy and are out. US Army has city under quarantine. I overheard them say infected are too violent and too few non-infected. Military not there to help, stay sharp - guns. You need to get out, cannot wait it out. Infection is local to ST, don't worry about family in JAP. Just finished calling everyone I know in ST, most are safe, KOF ppl OK. US is blocking outside comms soon, this is last message. Yag still in city, told me to shut the fk up+ Hung up, guess I woke him lol clueless fkr._

 _Sorry 2 say, since you are tourist your best bet is find Yag and sneak out city together. He knows way around+speak japanese. ST very easy to be lost. Try not kill each other. Good luck. His number: X(XXX)-XXX-XXXX. If he is in quarantine, you can contact. Otherwise go to City limits. Don't be spotted._

Kyo stared at his phone, then shut his eyes. 15% left in his battery. 5:06 AM. It was going to be a long day.

He fixed his eyes on the adjacent building.

* * *

NOTES:

 _* According to SNK Wiki, fans have concluded South Town to be in Florida, USA or somewhere nearby. The climate there is exceptionally humid._

 _* Air rescue operations would probably still be running. I've ceased them prematurely for the sake of story._

 _* Signal jammers can cease all communications via introducing interference, but creating a 'communications barrier' is not possible with commercially available equipment._

 _* Police interfering in Kyo's fights is not canon. But is very possible._

 _* Reference to Team Ending (Kyo/Shingo/Iori) in KOFXI_


	2. Toto- Somalia

* Trivia will probably get longer with each installment. kek. Learn some Chemistry.

* There is a timing oversight concerning when Kyo Kusanagi arrives in SouthTown. Please ignore it.

*Onomatopoeia for days bruh.

* * *

It was late afternoon in SouthTown. The sun was beginning it's descent across the sky and the earth cooled. The infected were becoming less active, 'guess they need sleep too huh?' Kyo murmured as he barricaded the doors of an empty apartment. Having traveled rooftops all day, exhaustion drove him to seek refuge. Careful to make as little noise as possible - he still didn't know how the horde was tracking him - he climbed through a window of a apartment, and locked himself in.

At this point he was prepared to kill any infected occupants, and was thankful there were none. He turned toward the kitchen, filled his water bottles and ate all the fresh food in the refrigerator. He checked the cabinets and found the largest cache of Bacon-n-beans he'd ever laid eyes on. "American garbage" he muttered. Clearly his 'hosts' were not cooks.

The electricity and water have not yet been turned off in the quarantine zone, and Kyo was determined to enjoy these modern amenities to their fullest while they were still available. He was especially thankful for the air conditioning. It was horribly hot outside.

Kyo was halfway through a hot shower when loud _thud_ made him flinch. Scrambling out, he peeked out of the bathroom to check the barricade - it had not given in, but he had another infected companion tonight. Kyo briefly wondered who it was. Perhaps the owner of the apartment? Kyo grimaced, and pushed the couch up to reinforce the barrier. He retreated into the bathroom momentarily before emerging to sit at the kitchen table in his boxers. There he let his mind wander to the solemn beat of the infected's skull against the hardwood door.

That infected had broken his peace. In a situation like this he should be allowed, at the very least, to imagine better times. Imagine that the world hadn't gone to hell. He should be waking up to the sound of street performers and people going about their business. He would have made his way to King's Bar to eat and try to communicate with the patrons. Then he would be recognized on the streets, and swarmed by doting fans pestering him for autographs and giving him gifts. Then, as he went back to his hotel, he would have been tracked down and confronted by Iori Yagami -who was apparently living here now- and they would throw fire at each other until they heard sirens. That is how the first day of his American vacation should have been, not witnessing the beginning of a zombie apocalypse.

Kyo glanced at his phone. 4 _:30pm. Call Yagami? Was Terry insane? Fuck that._ Kyo stared daggers at his cellphone, and lay his head on his arms to sleep. _Asshole can take care of himself. If he dies he dies, it's not like he's been trying to kill me for the past five years. I have no obligation to do anything for him. Bastard… Fuck… I wish Terry or Rock were here, they know the city and won't kill me in my sleep…. Heh, I wonder, maybe it's him smashing his head against that door… no… if it were him...he would have gotten through by now…_

… _._

 _CRACK_ Kyo woke with a start, jolting straight up. Another infected had joined in on the cacophony outside the apartment and had begun clawing at the doorknob. Kyo could see it turn back and forth as his assailants tried to reach him.

 _Bastards. Leave me alone! Go bother someone else._ Kyo stood rapidly and strode across the room, the chair fell on it's back with a clatter. He reached out and grasped the door handle, he felt the infected attempting to twist it _from the other side. Metal conducts heat fucker, taste some kusanagi flame_. Kyo's hand caught fire, steadily heating the doorknob until it glowed bright orange, his face twisted into a cruel grimace until he heard a voice on the other side.

 _F...uck. it's …. Hot… m-my hand….. my hand …. Why… let … go. Let go!..._

Kyo froze, extinguished the flame, righted his chair and sat back down. In a single day, he had forgotten that the people outside his door were more pitiable than he was.

Damn… he wished there was somebody to watch the door…. Anybody would do, even a dog maybe. Could he trust it to bark if anything happened?

Kyo exhaled a long breath. The sun was setting, a glance at his phone told him it was 7:36. He had slept two hours and woke more exhausted than before. The adrenaline rush didn't help, he was coming down from the momentary energy boost, and felt spent. The door rattled and swayed, he stared at it, willing it to hold. He just wanted to sleep. To curl up, forget about the world and rest. But, his guts told him he might die if he slept, because now there were two people slamming up against the door. If he slept now, he would wake only to realize he had become part of that shuffling, weeping horde.

...

Two hours.

The longest two hours of Kyo's life were spent nervously eying the rattling barricade. There was nothing left in the room to push up against it, yet it persisted to shake and creak worryingly. Should he go outside and kill the infected? No. he couldn't. Besides he would have to dismantle the barricade first. The lock on the door had already been bent out of shape. If he removed it, It would be difficult to re-fasten.

Did he fall asleep? Yeah.

He had fallen asleep a few times. Twice? Three times? Didn't know. The barricade was holding.

Kyo couldn't remember. But he only managed to clock in a few minutes of rest, for he would wake in cold sweat when the infected outside made new noises.

Time? 9:20. His battery teetered at 8%.

Kyo propped his head against his arm and stared into the light of the screen. _Crack…crack….crack… scritch… scritch…. Crack…. Crack…._ 9:21… _crack… scritch…_

 _Is there any coffee in here?_ Kyo raised his eyes toward the cupboards of the apartment.

 _Crack…crack….crack_

 _An Expresso sounds nice. Maybe an Americano, since I'm in country…_

 _Crack…crack….crack_

 _9:22… I wonder…_

 _Crack…crack….crack_

 _Could coffee keep watch…. Over the door?_

 _Crack…crack….crack_

 _If I gave coffee to a dog… maybe then it would watch the door?_

 _And I could sleep?_

…

 _CHKCHKCHK… BANG._

The table shuddered. One of the legs snapped and the tabletop fell against Kyo's lap. A fist mark smouldered on the polished wood surface.

The two bodies outside had discovered the door hinges, and were gnawing at them. Kyo glared at the door, suppressing the urge to burst out of the room and tear the two apart. Liquid anger seared his veins.

The barricade was holding, but Kyo didn't bother to examine it. He snatched up his phone before it slid off the ruined table and punched in Iori Yagami's phone number.

Kyo seethed…

 _Riing…_

If Yagami was here, there's no way he would sleep soundly. Nobody could sleep soundly.

 _Riing…_

Not in this hell… but perhaps….perhaps… he had already left SouthTown. Like all the other sane people.

 _Riing…_

But Yagami… he didn't qualify as sane did he?

 _Riing…._

 _Chk._

No. He didn't. Damn, what a reliable guy.

 _Fuck are you, and why do you have my number._

Kyo blinked. Yagami was speaking English. Wait, he spoke English?... Of course, he lived in America.

 _I can hear you breathing you fuck! I'm going to choke you with your own entrails._

What the hell was he saying? 'fuck' he knew that word. Whatever. Kyo was in no mood to recall high school English lessons. God, he was tired. The door had begun creaking again.

"it's Kusanagi you fucker." Kyo hissed. He was surprised with how unpleasant he sounded. "Speak japanese asshole". Surprisingly pleased.

Iori obliged him. He sounded surprised.

 _Huh? What the fuck? … Kyo? …_

Surprise quickly faded into annoyance.

 _Which Sonovabitch gave you my num-_

"Shut the fuck up Yagami and tell me where the fuck you are?" Hearing his rivals voice was enough to bring heat to his cheeks. Kyo was already angry at the two bumbling idiots outside who wouldn't let him sleep, but Yagami made him want to spit flames.

 _Why the hell do you care? I don't need your pity. And I don't have time to listen to you gloat. I'm fucking busy._ Iori sounded tired. The familiar bite, that verbal venom, was lacking in his voice. It sounded a bit strange, but Kyo was too angry to notice.

"Bitch! Just answer the question! Where in quarantine are you?" Kyo was on autopilot, it felt really good to finally yell at somebody and vent. "I know you're dumb as all hell Yagami, but you deciding to stay in the quarantine leaves my expectations in the dust. Did I give you brain damage last time I battered you? I swear your skull sounded just like a melon being split! Ha, but even a fucking melon would get the hell out of here shit-for-brains! Are you even there? Fuck you. Fuck this. Fuck!" Kyo glared at the phone panting.

The door creaked.

… _What_ _the fu-_

 _CHKCHKCHK_ the infected attacked the hinges again, and for a moment, Kyo lost his sanity.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He howled and kicked the tabletop off his lap. It slammed to the tile floor. The noise reverberated through the complex.

The creaking paused.

...

Iori clearly had not expected a tirade. It seemed to rouse something in him. The next time he spoke, the venom was back in his voice. Kyo thought he heard snarling.

 _I don't need your sass Kusanagi. Once this SouthTown incident blows over, I'll fly over to Japan and butcher your ass. In the meantime mind your own fucking business. I don't have time for your shit!_

Kyo shut his eyes and slowed his breathing. He hoped he hadn't attracted any more nighttime assailants.

 _You just wait there fucker. I'll tear you to bits and burn you into ash. Your grave will be the city streets and your epitaph will be written by muddy shoes on the sidewalks._

The snarling was becoming more pronounced.

"Iori Yagami waxing poetic? To think I'd live to see the day! how long did it take you to think of that one. Hmm Yagami?" Kyo grinned. He knew that one would hurt.

It did. Iori's senseless screaming was music to his ears. Kyo laughed, he felt he was forgetting something important. Why did he call Yagami in the first place? He didn't recall. Eventually the sounds of hell died down, and there was only ragged breathing on the other line.

 _If that is all you wanted to say, I'm happy to report you've successfully stolen 5 minutes of my life. I hope you're satisfied. Now if you would excu-._

"Wait Yagami." _Shit._ He was supposed to team up with the maniac. At this rate that wasn't going to happen. Unless he apologized… And hell would freeze over first. At the very least, he needed directions.

 _I wasn't really asking for permission faggot. Goodbye you fu-_

"Fuck, wait! Yagami! C'mon!" This was the last call he would make. His battery hovered at 2%.

 _...Make it snappy bitch._

That was close. Kyo exhaled, he opened his window and squinted out. Even with the streetlights on he could barely make out the name of the store across the venue. "If I'm across the street from Mac's Bar, what direction do I go to reach city limits?".

…

 _What? Mac's…. That's…_

Iori's voice conveyed utter confusion.

 _...Kusanagi are you… you're in SouthTown Central?..._

"Vacation." Kyo grunted.

 _..._

… _Holy shit you fucking autist! Could you have chosen a worse place to travel? Maybe Somalia? Ant-fucking-Arctica?_

Kyo was beginning to grow tired again. He fought to keep himself talking.

"Shut the hell up. Just tell me where to go." Kyo tried his best to keep the exhaustion out of his voice. "Fuck my phone is about to die, hurry up. Spit it out." He cursed himself for not asking Terry for directions before the communication jam went live.

 _Is this a joke? Are you messing with me Kusanagi? I'll wring your neck and nail it to my mantle._

Kyo gritted his teeth. _This fuck._

"Yagami" Kyo hissed "I've barricaded myself inside an apartment. There are two shithead zombies trying to smash down my door and I've slept like 3 hours in the past two days. I'm about to fucking lose my mind, so PLEASE give me fucking directions. I need to get out of this place!" His voice broke somewhere near the end. Kyo hoped the other man didn't hear it.

He did. And seemed startled by it.

… _Ok, alright… uh...if you're looking at Mac's go left… for 20 miles then._.. _uh shit.._. _north on 8th street?…._

Kyo heard papers shuffling across the line.

 _Left when you see 8th … wait I think that got blocked… there was a three bus pile up there and It's still burning._

 _Take 10th then. Left…. I mean, it's the right direction. Avoid small streets you'll probably get lost and starve to death. Or eaten. Whichever._

"Please tell me that's not a ground route" Kyo muttered against the receiver. He knew it had to be, the buildings grew less and less dense as the city sprawled outwards. There was no way to travel via rooftop. "Wait? Twenty Miles?"

 _Bitch what do you expect? A helicopter route? Anyways,… it's a cool 50 miles on tenth, welcome to America land of the freaking humongous. Find a vehicle, you're a motorbike guy right? Find some old car and hotwire it. You've got a built in soldering kit yeah?_

Kyo's mouth was dry. Twenty, Fifty miles? He had traveled maybe two today. "Hey shithead, they never taught us how to steal cars in High School."

Kyo heard a sniggering laugh over the line. What was so funny?

For a moment the line fell silent.

 _Kusanagi, is there preserved food where you're at?_

Kyo started awake. "What? Like cans, yeah why".

 _Ok… then just stay put, wait for rescue. US Military is good at that._

"These fuckers can smell me Yagami. I can't stay put. I'll have a horde of them at my door by morning. Are you telling me to die?" At the moment, Kyo's mind was too exhausted to realize the irony of his statement.

"And there won't be any rescue"

 _What?_

"Terry contacted me. There won't be a rescue operation. Too few survivors"

 _Oh. Well… that's… uh..._

Of course this idiot didn't know anything. Then again, if he kept up with the news, he wouldn't still be in the city.

There was a clattering on the other side of the line.

 _Okay then… fuck … I'll swing by and pick you up. Mac's right?_

"What?" Kyo didn't believe his ears. Did his mortal enemy just offer to help him? "Are you drunk Yagami?"

 _Bitch, I'm sober._ Kyo listened carefully to his rival's voice. He didn't really sound drunk, but there was a strange drag in his speech.

"Count to ten"

 _No. Fuck you. Do you want a lift or not?_

"Uh, yeah…" Kyo thought for a moment. "faggot you just want to fight don't you."

Kyo wondered tiredly if adrenaline could overpower his fatigue. If they fought now, only one would leave alive. There was nobody to interrupt this time. Kyo might be in trouble.

 _Nah, that guy really wants to kill you, but I feel like shit. Hangover y'know?_

Kyo groaned. _That guy? Was that one of the voices in his head? What the hell. Yagami, you fucking nutcase._

 _Also, I'd just say so if I wanted to fight. It's not like it's a secret._

Kyo sighed. At the very least he could trust Yagami to be upfront with him. The man wasn't much of a schemer. If he was offering help, - even if he was drunk and crazy - Kyo wouldn't refuse. Desperate times.

"Alright, yeah. The apartment complex across from Mac's bar. I'm on the second storey."

 _Ok, Look for a … a Mustang, red. I'll be there in fifteen. In the meantime get your ass up and gather all the food you see. I'm fucking starving._

 _Also don't you dare fall asleep. If you make me wait for you I will set your building on fire._

Classic.

 _Hey! Did you catch that? … Kusanagi!?_

The door rattled again. Kyo glanced over.

 _Kyo! You fucktard. Did you hear me? Hello?_

"Yeah, fuck" Kyo grabbed his duffel bag and staggered towards the cupboards. "Okay I'm going."

 _Wait, are they any cigs in that apartment? I don't even care the brand. I would die for a sm-_

At that moment Kyo's phone died and the line disconnected.

* * *

NOTES:

 _* Concerning the doorknob, Brass heats up and cools down 10 times faster than water does. It has a specific heat of 0.38 j/(gC), and will rapidly radiate absorbed thermal energy. Metal glows when electrons relax from excited orbitals, they release photons in accordance with conservation of energy. Kyo should have been burned by the doorknob. He is immune to his own flames, but is not immune to thermal energy from an outside source -ie) doorknob._

 _* Some cities in the US really are quite large - although this is also considering the suburban and residential areas. It would not be unrealistic for the military to establish a 52 mile radius perimeter around our fictional city. ie) Denver has an average diameter of 280 miles(r=140mi)._

 _* The typical dog dies after ingesting 150mg of Caffeine. The typical cup of coffee contains 100mg. Please treat your pet carefully._

 _* I used 'infected' as both a singular and plural term. The infected (person). The infected (persons)._

 _* Reference to Iori Yagami always telling his opponent to die in pre-battle lines._

 _* Reference to Kyo Kusanagi having never finished High School._


	3. COOL VIBRATIONS

_Ay bois,_

 _You've seen plenty of cringy English-Japanese on this website. But have you ever seen cringy English-Spanish? Well we have it all here. (Special thanks to GUEST. Edited)_

 _Also I dun goof. Japan uses 24-hour time. So no AM/PM. ie) 10PM US would be 22:00. lol Kyo's supposedly Japanese phone shouldn't be reading AM/PM. sry_

 _Real talk though: Our favorite red-haired psychopath makes his entrance. He's pretty chill... and it actually has some canonical validity. Whatever. Don't complain. Getting these two idiots working together is hard asf. I know what it's like to be Chizuru. lol._

 _Plot twist: the story's main character is actually an old Mexican man who can drift 4 days dude. Gnarly._

* * *

Iori looked at his phone and laughed. _What the hell? Did he just offer to help Kusanagi? What a funny world..._

The call had interrupted Iori's first aid treatment. He returned to taping the cut on his forehead.

He wasn't used to seeing Kyo display weakness. He was always that arrogant cocky bastard who flaunted his strength and loved to show off his flames. But he wasn't just talk. Kusanagi - as much as Iori hated to admit - was strong. Strong enough to kill him. He could have done so many times over. But now, there he was, the great Kyo Kusanagi, on the verge of mental breakdown and being held hostage by two mindless zombies.

How dare his rival fall into such a pitiable state. Embarrassing.

Iori sighed and let his phone drop into his lap. He had been a bit dizzy since he woke up ten miles from home, covered in grime, blood and ash. The walk to his flat was a blur. Something whistled by his head. _Riot? You're still thirsty?_

Iori heard his own voice snarling into his ear, _kill… kill the Kusanagi … kill kyoooo..._

He took a deep breath, and counted slowly. Talking to Kusanagi had gotten the Riot all riled up again. He had just let loose earlier, so reigning in the murderous blood was easier than expected. There was also the chance of nicotine. One addiction to battle the other. Bloodshed against drugs. Great.

 _Shit, I forgot to ask him if there's any alcohol…_

Iori pocketed his cellphone and got up from the couch. He grabbed his keys and a flashlight from the coffee table before leaving his flat. Facing his door was an identical one. The heavy gate to his right led to a flight of stairs which descended from his flat into the street below. The floor of the small courtyard was covered in a fine white dust.

SouthTown grew incredibly hot in the summer, it was a humid, oppressive heat. The air was viscous and heavy, insects swarmed about so densely that Iori felt he was swimming. It really didn't help his mental state.

He was dressed in a tank top and boxers. He had bandages over several fresh wounds, some still wept blood. He didn't seem to mind the idea of walking into a horde of mosquitoes. Bleeding.

He kicked on a pair of sandals, opened the gate, and descended the staircase. He waited to hear the gate lock before continuing toward his late neighbor's red mustang, stopping to stare at it incredulously.

 _Can't believe the Old Fart's dead._

No normal person has ever scolded Iori Yagami. An aura of danger kept meddlesome people away. Even the police left him well alone. His reputation as a fierce fighter - and part time crazy person- preceded him. People talked all sorts of shit about him, but it was always behind his back. That's why he was completely shocked when one day, two years ago, an old Mexican man burst into his flat wielding a slipper and shouting at him to: "Cállate el Culo!".

That was the beginning of a strange friendship. At the time Iori did not speak English well. He communicated with the old man in a weird mix of Spanish, English, Japanese, charades and alcohol. He christened the old man "kusojiji"- Old Fart, and answered to 'Cara de Culo'. Eventually, much to his chagrin, he learned his nickname meant 'Assface'. Not that he was surprised.

 _The guy even learned some Japanese from me...but all I got from him were Spanish curse words._

The streetlight outside his flat always had spotty electricity. it was flickering, illuminating the insects buzzing overhead. The sight of an almost-naked person walk into such a mass of mosquitoes would make any person cringe. But not even the lowliest of bloodsuckers would drink cursed blood. Iori enjoyed the privileges of never having to worry about insects, but it hurt him in a strange way. _Even insects don't want me huh?_ he popped up the car hood to examine the engine. He could have taken his own vehicle, but he wanted to take the mustang for a spin.

Iori had helped the Old Fart fix it a couple of times. To be honest he had been eying the car for a while - he had a soft spot for classics. Even offered to buy it. But the old man loved the car like his own child. He wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on it.

But he _was_ eager to show it off. Once, the proud mustang owner convinced Iori to go drifting. But, the day of, Kusojiji seemed to have second thoughts. He warned him "Oy Culo, you sure? might be scary?" and " My boy Culo, if you scared of heights. It's No-go." The fighter thought nothing of it.

"I'm the scary one old man. Even assassins don't come after me. _And,_ I'm only here so you can finally shut up about your stupid car. Anyways, I already moved band practice." Is what Iori told him as they set off down the mountain pass. "O~kay" the old man cackled, "No crying little man!" he crowed as he punched the accelerator. Iori distinctly remembered a chill go down his spine as he caught sight of the man's toothy yellow grin.

And ever since that night, the old bastard never let him forget he screamed like a little bitch the entire ride down.

Iori closed his eyes while the engine purred and the headlights flickered to life. He instinctively produced a lighter, only to sadly stash it away. His throat itched. He felt a headache coming on.

 _Kusanagi had better find me some cigs…_

Iori raised a hand, and examined it. It was quivering ever so slightly, his fingers tingled. He took a deep breath, willing the shaking to stop. It didn't.

 _Whatever._ Iori pulled out a few bobby pins, and fastened his long bangs back. He looked camp as all hell, but it was too hot for him to care. Nobody wants to drive half blind. Much less at night.

He imagined telling Vice and Mature he was going out to rescue Kusanagi from zombies in exchange for a cigarette and a granola bar, while dressed in pyjamas. They would have howled in laughter. Iori was thankful they weren't there to bother him. But, if they had, they would have dragged him out of the city with everyone else. The two women were insufferably annoying and constantly acted like whores, but they always had his back. They were good teammates and Iori regretted killing them.

But he would never let anyone know that.

 _Fuck the Riot._

Iori's stomach gurgled. God, he was hungry. Why didn't he keep more food in his house?

He kicked the car into gear, the transmission shuddered but Iori was not worried. He had seen what this car could do. It was a fierce but kind machine, it would take good care of him. He steered it around and set off toward the central district, zipping around potholes and litter in the streets. His thoughts flew back to his mission. Hopefully Kusanagi knew more than he did about what was going on. He had been a bit delirious since he… _hm. Since when?_

He willed his mind to recall the previous day's events. Nothing was real yet. Everything was a blur, as if he were reading a comic strip, or a novel. What had happened? Everything was normal the last time he went out. But now… did the world end?

Yesterday evening he remembered stumbling home, dead drunk. He climbed the stairs and tripped headlong over Old Fart who lay face down near the top. He picked himself up, muttering an apology to his neighbor. The old man just shook in place while Iori grabbed the mustang keys and a Vodka bottle off him. Then he half-crawled to the top. Blood trickled down his forehead where it hit the stonework.

 _Why was Kusojiji even there? Was he drunk too? He shouldn't be. The old man's store closed at 10, Nobody could get that drunk in half an hour… hang on, the old man doesn't even drink Vodka - the bottle was smashed too. Was he using it as a weapon?_

Iori closed the gate and waited for the lock to click before pushing his way into his flat. He collapsed on his couch and fell into a deep sleep. He remembered thinking, 'kusojiji is gonna want his vodka and mustang when he wakes up.'

 _I should have brought the Old Fart up to his apartment! Why am I such an idiot. FUCK!_

At 4:30 am his phone rang loudly, interrupting his stupor. He picked up, listed off every curse he knew, then staggered to the bathroom to puke his guts out. He stripped and crawled into bed until late afternoon.

 _And 8 other missed calls… the band probably. But that call wasn't from any of them...Who was it? I don't remember. I recognized the voice, but not the number… WiFi dead too. Only Kusanagi's call came through._

When Iori finally emerged from his apartment, the sun hung low in the sky and the streets were filled with shuffling hordes of people. He could see them scattered about, a few had climbed the stairs to his apartment, but we're blocked by the iron wrought fence at the top of the staircase. They reached their limbs through the bars and snapped their teeth. Old Fart's corpse lay outside the gate.

 _Zombies, right out of a movie haha... What the hell. Except they were all crying. What's that for?_

Iori examined his friend's body from between the walking corpses. Kusojiji had shot himself. The pistol still gripped between his bloodstained teeth.

 _No doubt he would rather die like that then be eaten alive… Shit! I could have saved him. Damn those zombies. I better have slaughtered them all… did I?_

Expressionless, Iori turned on his heels and went back inside. His blood was giving him trouble again, it screamed in his ears, screaming at him to go slaughter, to tear everyone to pieces.

 _I guess I can rely on Riot for that kind of thing. He does a better job than me when it comes to… hm... wetwork._

He staggered into his closet to put on some clothes. He didn't like to go on murderous rampages - and he certainly didn't want to do so in the nude. He couldn't hear anything anymore. His ears had gone. But this time... this time he had no plans to fight the blood riot. He wanted to tear the world in half, he wanted to see things burn - And Riot would do it for him. He egged it on, he nursed it into ferocious anger. Then he would cut loose... but not yet. Clothes.

 _Imagine the headlines? Iori Yagami, caught streaking - 50 dead. Hah. I'd definitely go to jail._

Combat boots… his hands shook as he tied the laces… jeans… no time for a shirt, his eyesight was fading fast. He had to get out of the apartment or else he would tear his way out.

 _Landlady would have charged for repairs. Bothersome. I wonder if she noticed I'm late on this months rent… I'll pay up when she tells me to._

Iori stumbled outside, the light from the setting sun shone in his eyes. His whole body trembled, he clutched his head. Orochi roared. Riot began growling in anticipation. Unbeknownst to him his face was twisted into a horrible grin. Iori's eyes landed on to the corpse of Old Fart, then rested on the three people reaching for him from outside his gate. He took a swipe at one of the arms grasping for him. It tore off, the bones splintered with a sickening noise. He stepped forward to grasp the bars of the gate. Fingernails dug into his flesh, a face attempted to squeeze through the bars, it's eyes bulged out of its head, the teeth snapped. It's sobbing fell on deaf ears. Iori ignited his whole body, hot purple flames flashed out to consume the infected outside. They screamed. Their flesh and bones charred, fell down and shattered, dusting the area in ash. The steel bars on the gate glowed white hot and began to warp.

 _Ouch._

He took a breath, and lifted the hatch. The door swung open. He relaxed and let Orochi flood his mind. His eyes were gone, he only saw piercing blackness. There was roaring in his ears. He heard himself howling.

 _That was for you Old Fart. Assface has avenged you._

 _Rest in Peace._

...

… _Rest in…_

…

… _._

 _Fuck fuck FUCk FUCK FUCK!_

 _Where are you Old man?! Where the hell did you go?_

 _Gone? Really? You piece of shit! You laughed and said you'd outlive me!_

 _It's my Fucking Fault. If only I had brought you in. Fuck me._

Iori heard his throat make a noise. But his face didn't change from his usual expression. He continued to deadpan straight ahead.

 _And the band… are they alive? They were nice people, damn good musicians too. Wouldn't let me smoke. Are... You guys rotting somewhere? Are you zombies too?_

Iori shook his head violently _._

 _No… they had to have gotten out… they- they don't deserve to die._

 _What about the landlady? She baked cookies for me once. Has she… I didn't even pay rent yet!_

 _Fuck!_

Reality slowly dawned on Iori. His face showed it, he's eyes seemed to sink into his skull and his visage grew sullen. He stared forward.

 _The whole city is gone! Everyone is gone. Just me and Kusanagi and zombies…. This… this isn't a joke._

Iori squeezed the wheel until his knuckles turned white. His grew conscious of a wound on his wrist… just some scratch? Or maybe a bite mark? It stung for a moment , he concentrated on the pain.

 _This is real Iori Yagami. You might fucking die here. Why, did you think it would be fun to go around helping people? You've never done that before anyways! You idiot, you should be driving in the other direction! What were you thinking?_

The only thing that stopped him from turning the car around that very moment was his promise. Iori Yagami never went back on his word- at least when he could help it. But he still hesitated.

 _Fuck it._

He steeled his resolve and continued into the heart of the city. The streets were desolate, stray animals wandered about. Many had collars and tags - abandoned pets.

 _There's nobody left. For all I know, it's just me and that faggot Kusanagi._

Iori mouthed the name, Riot began stirring.

 _Why did I even come here? Why am I helping somebody who hates me? Was I drunk, up on battle high? Ohh shiit._

 _There's Mac's._

And Kyo…. was here. Iori felt it in his bones. His vision became unfocused, his hands trembling as he shifted the car into neutral to let it roll to a stop. He felt his skin crawl and his cheeks burn. He suddenly became irrationally angry at the shuddering gearbox. Iori clutched the wheel and clenched his teeth, staring down at his lap.

 _Fuck... I forgot this happened around that guy… why did I agree to this…_

A sharp pain blossomed in his gut. His blood curdled.

 _Urg… but... was it always this bad?_

Riot hadn't smelled Kusanagi blood in nearly a year, and surged strongly in his veins. Normally Iori would just become extremely irritable in his rival's presence, but it was never full blown like this! He hadn't even laid eyes on the man!

 _You said you wouldn't fight! Keep it together man! Yagami! Keep it together!_

The pain was getting worse. It clouded his mind.

 _Fuck, it's... it's strong!_ Iori gasped, and gripped the wheel for dear life. He felt himself fading. A familiar roaring filled his ears.

As the car rolled to a stop, Iori lost his eyesight for the second time that day.

* * *

NOTES

(Leftover from Ch2)* _A Soldering kit is composed of both a metal alloy a low melting point and a heating tool to melt said metal. Heating is normally achieved electrically. Kusanagi does not have a built in soldering kit - he only has the heating component._

 _* Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can appear as soon 12 hours after the last dosage. Symptoms include headaches, irritability, nausea etc… It actually does not cause shaking, but does cause tingling._

 _* According to KOF lore, Yagami flames are supposedly more powerful than Kusanagi flames. Therefore I had Kyo heat brass until it glowed orange while Iori was able to heat steel until it burned white and warped - indicative of some melting. For reference, brass' melting point sits at 900C, while steel's MP is 1370C. Here, however, is the inconsistency. According to Black-body radiation theory, all solid matter emits a certain radiation(color) when heated to a certain temperature. (Low temperatures do this as well, however that radiation is mostly in the infrared spectrum- that is, invisible to our eyes.) This is the reason temperature can be estimated by looking at the glow of an object. Objects glow orange at 1,200C. Objects glow white at 5,700 C. Both well above their respective metal's MP. Both Kyo's doorknob and Iori's gate should have been puddles of molten metal. Temperature gradient has not been accounted for._

 _* It is unconfirmed whether or not Iori Yagami is related to Koichiro Iketani, who reportedly lives on Mt. Akina and drives a Nissan S13 Silvia._


	4. Marlboro or Bust

_eyy b0ss._

 _Fuck, it's... it's strong!_ Iori gasped, and gripped the wheel for dear life. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
 _Fuck, it's... it's l̶o̶n̶g̶!_ Iori gasped, and gripped the s̶h̶e̶e̶t̶s̶ for dear life. ( ͡o ͜ʖ ͡o)

 _Why yes, I am a degenerate. Thanks for asking._

 _lol jk gimme dat ebola. Inject it into m m._

 _Mark Zuckerburg is NOT HUMAN. STAY WOKE._

 _Also Kyo's a lil' bitch._

* * *

 _Kind thanks to the anon(s?) that leave reviews. I would've replied, but I can't lol. #FF2018._

 _I make it a policy to only release a chapter after the next one is already written. The reason for this is because many details may need to be tweaked in order for events to stay consistent. So yeah. Ch5 is done. I'll be posted when I finish 6._

 _Got some shit coming up. Progress will be slower after 5 goes live._

* * *

Kyo was rummaging through the kitchen drawers when he heard a car pull up outside. It was Yagami. Kyo could feel it in his blood. It boiled, it wanted to fight. And he knew Yagami's cursed blood was doing the same. But he was delirious with fatigue, and Iori wasn't. This fight would end badly for him. This was a bad idea.

When Kyo first complained to his girlfriend years ago about his psychotic stalker, he was surprised that she knew him. He keenly remembered thinking she was talking about a different 'Iori Yagami', because she said: "Yagami? That mellow guy is trying to fight you? I guess he could, he looks strong… but I've known him for a few years. He would never hurt a person!"

Apparently Yagami hated violence… except violence toward "Kyo Kusanagi, my eternal rival!" - _what a_ _fruitcake_. And carried out a generally peaceful, even reasonably friendly, existence while he wasn't on psychotic murder sprees.

There! Three packs of Marlboro. That ought to keep the chain-smoker happy. Kyo hoped giving the addict his fix would prevent the redhead from trying to eat him.

Kyo staggered to his feet. He quickly retrieved his jeans and t-shirt from the kitchen counter and dressed himself. He stuffed his jacket into the duffel. He had lost a lot of his baggage since the outbreak started - all that remained was his wallet, passport and a change of clothes. The rest of the bag was stuffed with as many cans of food he could manage. He discarded the baseball bat.

The door had been creaking less and less as the infected became dormant for the evening. _I want to be fucking dormant for the evening. Why do they get to sleep? Ugh._

Kyo slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and went to peek into the street. The glass had fogged up completely, so Kyo threw open the window. Hot, humid air hit him like a brick wall. He peered out.

There it was, a 1968 Ford Mustang. Must have been modded to hell if it was still running. Nice car though. Yagami must have stolen it from some innocent bystander. The figure sitting in the driver's seat was slumped over the wheel. _Did he die?_ Kyo loosed a tired scoff and began climbing out.

Athena had once told him she hated talking to Yagami while he was around. "He's all normal" she complained, "then you show up, and he starts acting all weird and aggressive. Once we were talking about how annoying it was to play in 5/8th's notation and then he suddenly gets really mad about it. Then, when you left, he calmed right down like nothing happened, I don't think he even knew you were there Kyo." She laughed before proposing that in case he were ever kidnapped, they could use Yagami's temper as a locater.

 _Nah, Athena. He knew I was there._

Kyo snapped his thoughts back to the situation at hand. The figure in the car remained motionless, but Kyo knew better than to relax. Iori was an offensive fighter, but even he took steps to defend himself. Kyo had fought against the man long enough to anticipate his movements. His victories depended on Iori's consistency - and Iori was a reliable guy. He never changed his tactics. The idiot fought by instinct alone.

So the first time Kyo fought with Orochi Iori, it never occurred to him he would need a new strategy.

Kyo distinctly remembered throwing out a flame-laced kick. Iori would have hopped back, he always did.

But the wild fighter didn't retreat, he ran headlong into the attack. Kyo was shocked as the madman took the kick to the gut, then clawed into his leg.

 _He would have ripped my kneecap right off if Benimaru wasn't there._

Kyo shook away painful thoughts. "C'mon man. Let's go" he muttered to himself. He spared a glance back toward the mustang. His rival hadn't moved.

 _Alright Yagami. Just stay in the car, I really don't have the energy to deal with your stupid curse right now._

It was twenty feet to the pavement below. Kyo had to jump, if he landed wrong he might break a leg. That would be fun.

Kyo prepared himself for the jump. Luckily he cast a final look at the vehicle before he dropped... because the driver's door had been flung wide open. Iori was nowhere to be seen.

 _Oh give me a break._

Kyo scrambled back into the apartment. He peered into the darkness, looking for movement… There! Yagami slowly walked through a halo of lamplight as he approached. He was visibly shaking, glassy unfocused eyes reflecting fluorescent lamplight. They also reflected an all-too-familiar murderous rage. Yeah, asshole was out for his blood.

Hot rage flooded his head. _This piece of shit! He knew this would happen didn't he? Did he come to kill me after all? Did he lie on the phone just to get my location?_

Kyo quieted his anger.

 _No. Yagami doesn't scheme. He doesn't lie either. He's just absolutely fucking insane. That guy… It's got to be Orochi- fuck him. Fuck them both._

Could he sneak away? He didn't think so. He could feel the other man's presence in his bones. Iori could do the same. They always knew if the other was nearby. There was no getting away. He had to wager.

Wager Iori Yagami's stubborn willpower against Orochi.

"Yagami you sneaky fucker!" Kyo hollered at the top of his voice. He was surprised it didn't just come out as a whisper. Iori snapped his head toward him, fixing him with a baleful gaze. "If you wanted to fight, why didn't you say so!?"

The figure in the lamplight threw his head back and howled in insane laughter.

 _Ok… that's always a good sign…_

Kyo swallowed the lump in his throat. He continued to shout. "Instead you have me tearing up somebody's apartment looking for canned beans? Where's your honor you piece of shit!? You lying, scheming bastard!"

"You wanna fight me like this? I'm dead on my fucking feet."

 _Maybe I shouldn't have said that._

"The entire world will be disgusted at you! You'll lose everything And it's gonna be Orochi's fault. Are you gonna let that happen? Huh?"

Iori stopped moving. He bent over and clutched his head. Kyo could see a single eye, framed in red bangs and claw-like fingers, roll wildly in it's socket.

 _Good. Fight that asshole. Beat the shit out of him._

"Are you gonna lose to that Orochi fucker? Huh, Yagami? Fine then, let that shitstain walk all over you." Kyo hung halfway out the window, screaming. He had whipped himself into a frenzy. "Weak ass bitch! Don't you dare call yourself a fighter! If you can't even beat the voices in your own fucking head! You think you can fight me? You'll never beat me! Not in a million years!"

"KYOOOO!" Iori gnashed his teeth. He dug his claws into his scalp. Blood oozed from between his fingers. It mixed with his sweat and ran down his arms, painting red trails against his pale skin.

 _Oh Shit… That's never happened before._ Kyo became nervous.

The man remained hunched for a long while, swaying back and forth. Kyo was reminded of the old infected shopkeeper - who battled the urge to attack people the same way Iori was now battling the urge to murder him.

Kyo dropped the duffel bag on the floor beneath the windowsill and withdrew into the apartment. In the case Iori lost, and came climbing up the wall, he could more easily retreat to defend.

 _Not that it would help much. I… I don't thi-_

Kyo snapped his thoughts away. No. No matter the situation, he would survive. He was Kusanagi Kyo, the scion of flame. He was the King of Fighters. He would not die. Iori had backstabbed him before - and he lived. Kyo would continue to live. Nobody would kill him. He gripped the windowsill and looked out.

Yagami was swaying back and forth under the lamplight. There was blood everywhere. Insects swarmed thick in the air around him - attracted to the light. Their incessant buzzing seemed to make the night even hotter. Long seconds passed.

Finally the figure uttered a low groan and relaxed. Somebody had just won. Kyo prayed it was 'nice' Yagami instead of 'I'll eat your guts' Yagami.

The man shook his head, then raised it to look up at him. There was blood smeared across his face. His eyes burned like live coals. His face was etched with bitter loathing. He strode forward rapidly, snarling.

"Say that shit one more time Kusanagi, I fucking dare you!"

 _Oh good. It's nice Iori._

"Get down here bitch! I'll eat you alive!"

Kyo exhaled. Then prepared himself for another bout of verbal jousting. Yagami was easier to deal with when he was sane. Sane Iori occasionally listened to reason.

"Oh? So you wanted to fight after all?" Kyo snarled back. "You should have just let Orochi do it!" Kyo was now keenly aware of what Iori meant by his 'other guy'. "Why did you even come here. huh? Don't waste my time like this!"

Iori glared up at him, brimming with anger. Then his scowl had shifted into a frown. He seemed torn for a moment. He was… probably remembering that he wasn't supposed to fight.

The guy really wore his heart on his sleeve.

The trail of blood snaked down into his eye. He grunted and bent to rub it away. When he righted himself the anger in his face had mostly faded.

"You're the one wasting _my_ time, Kusanagi. Are you coming or not?" Iori called from below. "Didn't I say I'd set you on fire if you made me wait?" He looked like a serial killer. His entire face was smeared in blood, even dripping from his chin. But there was no sting in his voice. The threats weren't real. They were speaking civilly again.

" _Civilly."_

"Okay fine, just stay. I don't give a shit." Iori exclaimed, clearly exasperated. He turned back toward his car.

 _Asshole._

"Alright. Bitch." Iori turned his head at the sound of Kyo's voice. "Here. Catch!" Kyo heaved forty pounds of bacon-n-beans at the figure who was now standing below him.

Iori made a startled noise before whirling to catch the bag; he staggered as he did _._ He growled something inaudible, then quickly examined the bag's contents before carrying it to the car. Kyo took the opportunity to drop down from the windowsill, taking care to break his fall with a roll. He stood gingerly and rolled his ankles until he was satisfied he hadn't injured himself. Then he stood, still on guard, Observing.

The other man was still facing away from him. He was bent over the open car door, head shoved into the cabin, one hand gripping the edge of the roof, the other digging through the bag which sat in the back seat.

 _Wow is he seriously walking around in boxers? I know it's hot but-_

 _Shit._

 _Oh Shit._

Kyo noticed several bandaged wounds on Iori's legs. He knew his rival was not a careless person. If the redhead was injured, it was because somebody attacked him. Kyo was nearly certain that these somebodies were the infected horde. And if their blood mixed with his...

"Yagami"

"What." Iori had emerged from the car with a protein bar.

"Who injured you?"

Iori gave him a flat look. He finished chewing and replied in an equally flat voice. "I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine." He climbed into the car, tossed the crinkled wrapper into the street, and motioned at Kyo to go around to the passenger's side. Kyo approached the vehicle warily.

 _Is he infected? All those wounds... at least one of them has got to be a bite. Just what was he fighting down at the streetlight, was it the Orochi curse or the zombie infection? Both?_

Kyo trained his eyes on his rival as he walked around the front of the car. The man had pulled off his shirt and was pressing it against his forehead, red blood soaked through the white fabric.

 _Whatever it was, he fought it... And won. Those wounds look at least a few hours old, so if he was infected, he should be showing symptoms by now. Resisted pretty well… unlike the guys upstairs._

Kyo stopped outside the passenger's window. A half moon shone weakly through the clouds.

 _I guess I'll take my chances. Again … at least for now. So be NICE Kyo. Don't fucking trigger the psycho. God I need some damn sleep._

Kyo opened the car door and slumped heavily against the cracked leather. The motion caused the cigarette boxes in his pants pocket to scratch at his leg. He remembered he had them. The door slammed shut. They sat in silence. The digital clock on the dashboard read 10:04.

Kyo glanced at Iori. He had a couple more wounds across his arms and chest. He had tried to wipe the blood off his face but only succeeded in smearing it about. His shirt was tied around his forehead like a bandanna. Red hair, matted in some places with blood, flopped over his face. He looked ridiculous - like a prop from a horror movie. If Kyo hadn't been so tired he would have laughed.

Iori rested both bloodstained hands on the steering wheel. He stared listlessly out the windshield into the darkness. "This was a really fucking bad idea, Kusanagi" he muttered.

 _No shit. I'm sitting in the car with somebody who just tried to kill me._

"Yeah. You sounded kinda drunk on the phone". Kyo pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tapped it against the dashboard until one of them dislodged. He proffered it, "cig?"

 _I just need to keep this asshole happy for a bit longer, get some sleep, then…. Then I'll figure out what to do._

Kyo had always scoffed at the phrase 'the light in your eyes'. His girlfriend always used it - "Kyooo~ are you sad? You look all dead today! Your eyes are like a dead fish's." She would whine "Come on, lighten up. I want to see your eyes shine!"

But when Iori turned his head and saw the cigarettes, Kyo swore the man's deadpan turned into the expression of pure love. A light beamed from behind those cold bloodshot eyes.

"Oh shit, you angel!" In one fluid motion Iori plucked the cigarette out of the carton, produced a lighter, lit the end, and stuck it in his mouth. He took a long drag. He seemed a good deal happier.

 _You're welcome asshole._

Kyo always wondered where smokers kept their lighters. They always seemed to have one on hand no matter the situation. Iori was wearing boxers… and that's it, and yet he managed to pull a lighter from his non-existent pockets.

 _Wait, what does he even carry a lighter for?_

They sat in silence for another few moments. Kyo stuffed the carton into one of the car's cup holders. He really wanted to be on their way. He was tired. So tired. But he couldn't sleep. Not yet.

 _Say something Kyo, don't let the bastard forget where we are. If he drifts into LaLa land you're not catching a wink of sleep tonight._

"Nice ride." Iori, enamored with his cigarette, tore away his gaze to look at Kyo," yours?"

"A friend's" the smoker began looking a bit sullen again, he turned to blow smoke out the window. Kyo was glad he did. Unlike him. Kyo had a future to prepare for. He didn't want to deal with the effects of secondhand smoke.

"Oh."

A few long moments crawled by.

Kyo drummed his fingers on his knee. He was a bit miffed that Iori had threatened to kill him for being too slow. But now here they were. Sitting, doing nothing. Fatigue was creeping up on him, blackness fringed the edges of his vision. He was so tired he wanted to _fucking_ die. "He doesn't need it does he?" Kyo asked absentmindedly. He spoke to keep himself conscious.

"He doesn't need it anymore." Iori turned slightly to face the window.

 _Huh?_

It took Kyo a moment to process what was happening.

 _Shit… is… is he mourning?_

"Oh."

 _The hell? This asshole knows how to mourn? All he does is to tell everyone to die, yet he's mourning? This slimy hypocrite…_ Kyo opened his mouth. Then shut it again.

 _Don't rile him up Kyo! Do you wanna die? Don't piss him off._

"Sorry." The word stuck to his throat. Kyo had to force it out. It made him angry all over again. _Faggot should be the one apologizing to me. Almost went nuts back there. Could have killed me._

Kyo was not the type to tip-toe around people. When he pissed someone off he usually didn't bother to apologize. He was used to throwing around fighting words. Being meek -passive - just wasn't in his blood. But at the moment, he would have to bear it. For as much as he hated to admit it, he was at Yagami's mercy.

They sat like that for another minute. Kyo fumed for bit, but soon let off. He didn't have energy to sustain long periods of anger anymore. He was running on empty. He just wanted to rest, but he was sitting next to the man who spent the last 5 years trying to murder him. Kyo's guts, his survival instinct, wouldn't let him relax - he wanted to pull his guts out.

 _I wish I could stick a shock collar on him... It probably wouldn't work - the guy has stupidly high pain tolerance. And I think his nervous system just shuts down when he goes on rampage. A gun maybe? Nah. We all know how to dodge bul-_

Kyo was jerked out of his thoughts when Iori started the car. It clanked into gear and steered into a wide arc. Iori stopped before heading down the same street he arrived from. Kyo almost flinched as he felt Iori glance at him.

"Kusanagi you look like shit." Iori motioned to the road. "I'll wake you up when we get there."

 _Was he trying to be nice?_

Kyo wanted nothing more than to sleep, but he simply couldn't trust the redhead. Especially not after earlier's vicious display. His voice was beginning to slur; he steadied it.

"Yagami."

"Mm?"

"Swear on … your Mother's life you won't touch me."

 _Cheesy._

"What?"

 _I don't have time for this shit. Swear faggot! Swear so I can sleep!_

"You were about to attack me back there you fu-" Kyo bit his tongue before he added an expletive.

"Yeah? Well I didn't." Iori's voice was hard.

 _What the hell is wrong with this guy. Did I make a mistake? Maybe I should spend the night with the infected guys upstairs._

"You've done it before. Billy… and Shingo too."

…

Moments crawled by.

 _What kind of leverage is that? I bet the asshole doesn't even feel bad about teamkilling. He never even showed remorse over Vice and Mature - and they were actually his allies. He's always after me anyways. Billy does nothing but annoy him. And he fucking hates Shingo... Damn it! What the hell do I do? I should just give up on this Psycho? How do I get out again? … Left, on this street to 10th right? fifty miles? Or was it seventy? I-_

"Fucker." the whispered word caused Kyo to flinch.

 _The hell he angry about?_

Iori hadn't taken kindly to whatever Kyo had said. He whirled toward the other man, his face set like flint, his eyes blazing. Kyo suddenly feared for his life, he gripped a the door handle. The door clicked, opening slightly.

 _Shit, SHIT. Go! Move! Get outta there Kyo!_

But Kyo didn't move. He knew the moment he moved, he died.

The night lay still. Both fighters were tense, frozen in place. Every nerve in Kyo's body screamed danger. The only thing that stirred was the slow rising of smoke from the cigarette which dangled from between bared teeth. The purr of the engine and the whirring of insects meshed with the heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Yagami trembled… ripped his eyes off his passenger, and hunched back over the wheel. Kyo watched as he squeezed his eyes shut and ground his teeth. Alarmed, Kyo slowly pushed the door open to attempt a silent exit.

The hinges squealed.

 _Fuck._

He froze.

"Fine." a low growl.

Startled, Kyo glanced sideways. Iori sat back against the seat. He swiveled to look his rival dead in the eyes. His voice rasped slightly, he had bitten his tongue and a thin sheen of blood coated his teeth. Somehow the cigarette had survived the ordeal. The tension in the air was almost tangible.

He spoke slowly. Venomously.

"I swear to you, on my mother's _grave_ , that you'll wake up tomorrow, _completely_ _unharmed_."

 _Grave?_ … _Ah. Oh shit… I forgot._

"Happy?" The redhead stared at him. Kyo swallowed, and nodded slightly.

"Fucking Good."

 _No bitch, Fuck you._

Iori turned quickly back toward the road and punched the gas. Kyo yanked the door shut as the car lurched forward. They accelerated violently past the wreckage in the streets, swerving perilously around debris.

They flew past building after ruined building. The streets were silent and empty. The Moon shone through a veil of clouds. A car alarm sounded somewhere in the distance. Kyo watched his rival through the corner of his eye, still tense after the last exchange.

Thankfully, Yagami seemed content to focus on driving - dangerously.

After a few minutes, the driving became less reckless. The redhead had a short fuse, but his anger didn't burn too long. His brow, still dark with blood, unfurrowed. His breathing calmed. He began tapping the steering wheel to some unheard beat.

Kyo observed his companion carefully for a bit longer before letting himself relax. He reclined on the seat and stared lazily out the windshield, he was about to drift off when he caught sight of a staggering figure. A person slowly walked into the street before them.

 _I thought they were all supposed to be asleep?_

"Hey… watch it" Kyo's muttered, eyes half lidded, weighed down with fatigue. "Slow down. Yagami."

They didn't slow down. They made no motion to avoid the figure. The car continued cruising calmly. Kyo stirred, becoming concerned.

"Do you see that? Right there…. Hey Yaga-"

Iori began accelerating. Kyo panicked. The figure became illuminated in the old mustang's headlamps. They were on a collision course. They were travelling well over speed limit.

"Shit! Shit! Yagami! Turn you idiot!"

"Why?"

 _What?!_ Kyo spared his driver a glance. Iori seemed normal. His expression was placid. He drove with one hand, the other laid on the open windowsill tapping out his beat.

"There's a fucking person there! Are you blind?"

Iori scoffed and continued driving. Kyo looked about wildly.

The figure continued dragging itself forward. It was a woman, she was infected, her bulging eyes were fixed on Iori, she bared bloody teeth at him. Cold loathing was etched into her features. She clutched a torso in her arms. The torso of a child. It had been rent in two, it's skin was charred and blackened… As if...

 _Oh God._

 _Yagami… did you…._

 _How many … How many people did you kill?_

Iori swerved so the car would clip her. She flew into a nearby storefront. They braked. Iori stepped out.

Kyo was frozen in place. He knew Iori had killed people before. But it had never really impacted him. Yagami tried to kill him all the time anyways, always threatening this and that, but never managing to carry any of it out. He did kill Vice and Mature, but at the time he was under Orochi's influence. Nobody blamed him for it. Kyo had just assumed the redhead's murderous tendencies were entirely derived from the Orochi.

But calm as could be, Yagami had run someone over with his car, and Kyo was pretty sure he wasn't going out to check if they were alright.

Kyo listened in the dark for footsteps… 10 of them, 10 loud taps of rubber on pavement. Then a gurgling scream and a flash of purple-white light split the night. The smell of burning meat filled the air.

 _This sick fuck!_

10 steps back to the car. They boomed like thunderclaps in Kyo's ears. In the rearview mirror he could see the figure approach, it's silhouette contrasted sharply against the dying purple flames.

Kyo averted his eyes and twisted in his seat to face the passenger's door. He pressed his forehead against it, staring deeply into the polished wood. The car rumbled beneath him. Insects buzzed overhead, zipping in and out of the vehicle through open windows. It was hot, Kyo's clothing was drenched in sweat, it stuck to him like cling film. He reached up to grab the windowsill. His hands were shaking.

 _This…. All of this- it keeps getting worse …._

He felt his eyes tear up as weariness loomed over him.

 _Why won't this nightmare end?_

* * *

NOTES:

* _MAKE YALL'S LEARN SOME SCIENCE FAM LOL._

 _* btw i actually write these, lol i'm insufferable._

 _*The phenomenon known colloquially as 'glass fogging' actually has nothing to do with the composition of the glass itself. Rather, it is a simple matter of thermal energy transfer between the water phase states. When water is heated sufficiently, molecules absorb enough (thermal) energy to shift into the gas phase. The opposite is also possible, when gaseous water molecules are cooled and lose energy, they revert to the liquid phase. When a cold surface(a windowpane) comes into contact with gaseous water(humidity), it 'steals' heat energy (thermal equilibrium, equilibrates) and reverts gaseous water into liquid water. This liquid water appears as tiny droplets on windowpanes and 'fogs up glass'. Running the A/C inside an apartment on a humid night would cause the window to fog up from the outside._

 _*Rolling out of a vertical drop will actually dampen the impact. The act translates directional, 'static' impact into 'moving' angular momentum over a larger surface area. Parkour athletes and freerunners commonly use the technique to dampen their falls. Twenty feet is a large, but not an unrealistic, distance to fall without sustaining damage. It is much easier if you are a video game character with plot armour though._

 _*The nervous system (CNS + PNS) controls all conscious thought, all sensory functions and motor functions. Additionally, parts of the brain regulate essential organs in the body. If Iori Yagami's nervous system shut down whenever he rioted, Kyo would have nothing to worry about. Because CNS shutdown means death. Finish highschool kids._

 _* If you read carefully, you would have noticed that Iori Yagami lives in the opposite direction of the city limits. In the United States the driver sits on the left side. So in order for Iori to show off his boxers and then sit in the driver's seat means the driver's side, is facing Kyo's apartment building. That means the car, when parked, was facing the City limits (left from the perspective of somebody looking from Kyo's building). Then, they preform a U-turn and drive away from city limits. This information is entirely unimportant._

 _* If you get this far, comment "meemboi, imma flush ur contacts down the toilet"_

 _*Reference to appearance of Orochi Iori/Wild Iori_

 _*Reference to Yagami clan familial curse._


	5. Insanity Runs in the Family

_Suparoni peeps._

 _I have exams._

 _I want to killmyselflolpls_

 _releasemefromthismisery._

 _ENDMYSUFFERING_

 _Wanna Read KOF Zombie action, except well written? I gotchu fam:_

 _s/5316415/1/A-Place-That-Kills_

 _RealTalk: our boi has MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER - (lel i didn't even make this up) (is canon)(wiki it scrubs)_

 _EDIT: changed some stuff in Ch6- so i needed to tweak a few details in this chapter. nothing too significant. (there's actually a story that's gonna happen)_

* * *

 _Whoever keeps leaving reviews. I love you. I'll send Iori to give you a kiss. Try not to die. (lolatthenextline)_

* * *

 _Disgusting._

Iori turned his back to the smouldering corpse and faced the car. They were learning to imitate humans. Acting all sad, muttering and peeping. Screaming. But, that _thing_ , it looked right at him… and it was carrying...carrying it's child?

Iori didn't remember if he was the culprit. He never remembered what the Riot did until well afterwards. It was still too soon. But the small corpse looked a lot like his… Riot's handiwork.

 _Could it be? Maybe revenge- No._

 _No. It's an act._

 _It's an act that won't work on me_.

Still, he faltered. He really didn't mind killing. That wasn't the problem. He killed his opponents all the time. But they were his _opponents._ Somehow, somehow these walking corpses didn't feel like opponents. There was no bloodlust coming off of them- he could smell only fear. He felt like he was murdering innocent civilians, killing people in the streets.

 _They're not people Yagami. They're animals. Filthy, dangerous animals. Do the world a service and put them down._

The _animal's_ corpse lay at his heels. It still clutched the _other animal's_ body. He had slit it's throat, then bathed it in purple flames. He could have just let it bleed out, but it looked too human. So he burned it. He didn't want to see it's face. He didn't want to look.

 _Don't turn away. Don't hesitate Yagami. Don't hesitate. Once you start, you finish. Live by that! You always have._

He steeled his resolve and hardened his gaze.

 _Right or wrong. Follow through. All the way. All the way to the end. I'll die before I admit defeat._

Iori curled his hand into a fist, then released it. It seared with pain where he ignited his flames. Using fire always hurt. His own flames hurt him even more than being burned. So he didn't use them haphazardly- _I just didn't want to look at that body, that's all_.

But the pain wasn't the least of it.

His family's history was a tale of astronomical idiocy. His flames bore testament to his _moronic_ ancestor's dumbass deal with the Orochi bastard. Yeah, his fire was hotter than normal. It was _a lot_ hotter. But in exchange he got his blood curse: his lifelong burden, his old buddy - Riot. Even Orochi himself dropped by occasionally to whisper nonsense into his ear or laugh him to the brinks of insanity. What an honor. Yeah, his lifelong burden. Good thing no Yagami ever lived past 30.

Whenever he used his cursed flames Riot would wake up. Sometimes just a little, enough to irritate him. Sometimes it was enough to drive him mad. Occasionally Orochi jumped in on the action. During tournaments, where his flames burned for hours on end, he would catch himself wearing Riot's awful grin...

It was like life had played a cruel joke on him. It was like the world doled out it's worst. Life? The World? They could all go to hell. Because he would _rip the world in two-_

' _Shrk._ ' Iori startled himself out of self-reflection by the sound of grinding teeth.

 _No. No, come on Yagami. Stop thinking about that. There are good things in the world. Chin up now._

Riot rumbled from the back of his mind.

 _No. You can just shut up. Get back in there._

At least he never got lonely.

Iori flicked his wrist, shaking the last vestiges of pain away. He looked to the sky.

The half moon cast a pale, weak light over SouthTown's skyline. The ever present insects swarmed about. The night remained unbearably hot. Still air weighed on him, pressed against him, tried to suffocate him. He was glad he was criminally underdressed. If there hadn't been a zombie apocalypse, he might have been arrested for indecent exposure.

Something clattered from inside a nearby building.

 _Shit._

 _That'd better be something falling._

Iori, realizing the racket he made might attract the horde, started quickly to the car. His eyes scoured the buildings carefully, searching for movement. He knew the zombies could still move relatively quickly. Probably because they hadn't rotted yet. _He hadn't seen any rotting yet._

 _But you've seen rotting corpses._

 _No. Stop it. Shut up._

He jerked his thoughts away. He would rather listen to Riot.

Orochi seemed to be silent ever since he poked ten holes into his own skull under that streetlight. The blood on his face had dried into a crusty sticky mess. His arms were smeared in blood too. It dried dark, and pulled on his skin. When he moved tiny cracks formed and blood flaked off. He felt wetness at the base of his neck.

 _Heh. I could scare the devil._

Iori kicked at one of the back tires as he passed. He hoped there were no punctures. It was too dark to examine for any, he had dropped his flashlight somewhere and didn't want to search for it. He would check the wheels in the morning. He could see Kusanagi's figure curled up against the passenger's door - probably fell asleep. Why was he so concerned about killing corpses.

 _Because they're not corpses you idiot. Those are people, and you've been ki-_

 _Shut the fuck up._

They were dead bodies. Or even if they were alive they were braindead, yeah they were braindead. Or animals, either one. They were just moving sacks of meat. They weren't people. Iori Yagami was _not_ the Riot. They were different. Riot didn't belong to him - it wasn't his blood, it was Orochi's. He didn't go around murdering _people_ like that guy did _. Not people._

The Mustang's door was wide open. The car was old, it didn't have any interior lighting. But the old man had installed a few modern trinkets. Namely, a CD player which displayed the time. It's digital green lettering cast a faint glow, but not enough to see with. Not enough to see the frenzied look in Kyo's eye.

The vehicle rocked as Iori lowered himself into the seat. The door was opened at such an obtuse angle he had to rise back up to reach it. The moment he did, a fist cracked into his cheekbone.

Stunned, his vision went white.

 _Urf- Fucking Hell?!_

Iori reeled - collapsing out of the car. His cigarette flew out. He scrambled to his feet and lept backwards, instinctively falling into a familiar fighting stance. He blinked, willing his vision to focus, there was fog in his brain. His cheek stung. His eye itched.

 _Who?! … - who else! Kusanagi! KUSANAGI!_

Riot stirred awake.

Iori Yagami didn't take hits well, he knew that. That's why he always took care to be the one attacking. And he was damn good at it. He could block well too - but usually that was unnecessary. He could tear a person apart in moments. Even without flames.

But, if he was unprepared, a good sucker punch would put him right down. Luckily, Kyo didn't manage anything near a good sucker punch.

 _This little shit!_

"Fucking Hell Yagami!" Kusanagi screeched. He was slung over the mustang's central console."You killed her! You just killed her!" His eyes were frenzied, they stared out like smouldering coals, his cheeks were wet, his nostrils flared. He looked like he was about to either cry or murder somebody.

 _You too Kusanagi? No._ _Shut up! They're not people! They're not fucking people!_

Iori heard his own hysterical laughter erupt from behind his head. Pain exploded in his stomach. Riot howled his brain. The terrible duo returned with a vengeance, and they were crying for blood. They cried for violence. He thirsted for combat. They were aching for Kusanagi blood. He would tear the bastard in two and bathe in it.

"You killed her kid too! You fuck!"

 _NO! Who cares! Who fucking cares. All you do is give me shit Kusanagi. I'm gonna murder you. I'm gonna eat you alive._

"You wanna go Kusanagi? Right here, Right now. Let's do it. Get out here!" Iori voice was guttural. Some part of him remembered he had promised not to hurt the guy... but if Kyo was going to attack him, all bets were off.

"...Yagami, you're a fucking psycho. You're a fucking murderer." Kyo's reply came as a choking groan. He had slumped back into his seat. He was pressing both palms against his eyes. Kyo's brown bangs fell over his fingers, his black shirt blended into the darkness and made him look like a floating head and pair of arms. He muttered to himself. He wasn't coming out. He wasn't fighting.

 _Get out here! Fight me! Fight me! If you don't come out, I'll pull you out!_

The red-haired fighter's eyes were wild. He ground his teeth. He was ready to tear the car in two. He was ready to kill the bastard inside. Wanted to rip him to shreds, just ribbons. Watch him scream and burn. He'd eat him alive.

 _Eat him?_

But no. He wouldn't. Not today. Not today… _You swore it! You swore on Mom's grave… don't you dare Yagami. Turn and walk Yagami. Walk. Walk. Walk._

He took a step toward the old mustang, toward the hunched figure. He was about to tear his promise to shreds. He was about to tear his honor to shreds. And he was gonna enjoy it. Iori heard his own ragged breath in his ears. He heard his pulse pounding away. He heard Orochi's mocking whispers. He heard the Riot calling for blood. He heard his own screaming laughter. He heard... another voice. It wanted to eat. It wanted flesh. Flesh and guts.

 _Do it! Walk away, do it now. Now. Now. NOW YAGAMI! IORI YAGAMI GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND WALK!_

Iori trembled. He stared at Kyo's dark figure. He wanted it so bad. He wanted to tear his guts out. He wanted to rend his flesh. He wanted to sink his teeth into his throat. But he wouldn't. He wouldn't. He turned. Slowly ripped his eyes away from the car and it's occupant. Then he walked. He walked. He did it. He walked.

He kept walking until he faced a building's brick edifice. There, on the stonework, he gently laid a hand. A thin hazy aura coated his fingertips.

He stood panting for a moment.

Then with a loud cry he crunched through the bricks as if they were made of foam. He crushed the cinderblocks to fine powder in his fists. He screamed, he hollered, he roared. He roared until his throat was raw. He tore his way into the building, crushing, smashing, destroying everything in his reach. He tore until there was nothing left before him. Debris pelted him from above but he didn't notice.

His mind was cloudy, rage fuzzed over his vision. Orochi cackled behind his ear. Riot howled joyously. The new voice screamed. Iori stumbled to his knees on a cool tile floor, groaning and panting. He squeezed his eyes closed. He cradled his head. He clenched his teeth.

He stayed there a moment. Still. Silent.

Then he threw his head back and screamed. He cried. He laughed. Tears streamed down from wild, insane, eyes. They mixed with the bloody mess on his face and dripped onto the clean cold tiles. His howling shrieking laughter rang out, reverberating throughout the building.

Five minutes? Ten? Fifteen? Iori didn't know how long he knelt there roaring. Roaring at Riot to stop roaring. Screaming at Orochi to stop screaming. He hated the sound of Orochi's voice… his own voice.

 _Ohh... Fuck me. God. I'm so fucked up. Heh... Fuck._

Finally the voices began to fade. He heard Riot crow triumphantly, leaking sadistic joy, before retreating to the back of his mind. Orochi was dissatisfied, he burned with searing anger before evaporating. The new voice softly chanted in the distance: _eat...eat...eat...eat..._

Iori steadied his breathing and opened his eyes. His vision slowly cleared. He took a moment to realize where he was.

It was an empty barber's shop. Iori did not get up from the floor. He let both arms drop limply to the ground, he craned his neck back to stare up at the dark ceiling.

 _Breathe Yagami…. breathe._

With a loud bang, the wall behind him collapsed into a pile of rubble. Iori flinched violently.

 _Easy… easy Yagami. Shh…_

The shop was clean and well maintained. Everything was mopped and put in order. The case to his left was filled with bottles. They were all evenly spaced, tall ones were displayed in the back, shorter ones in front. They were all twisted so their names were aligned. They stood proudly in their ranks, a testament to orderliness. Iori concentrated on them as he caught his breath.

 _It's okay. I'm okay. That's the third time. They won't be back anymore. … Relax, relax…_

Iori wiped the tears out of his eyes. He had won.

The encouraging voice in his mind immediately turned against him.

 _Yagami you're a fucking embarrassment to Yasakani martial arts… What was that back there? Dad is rolling in his grave._

Iori raised his hands, his eyes had already adjusted to the dimness of the building. The hazy power was still there, it's edges undulated several millimetres from his fingertips. He furrowed his brow. The aura smoothed, narrowed and sharpened, then seemed to disappear into his skin.

He rose to his feet, then turned toward the gaping hole in the wall. There, on one of the bricks, he placed a single fingertip, breathing deeply.

Suddenly, his finger drove cleanly through the brickwork. There was no crunch this time, just a distinctive ' _shink'_. When he withdrew his hand, a round hole looked back at him, it's edges were smooth.

 _Good._

Satisfied, Iori climbed over the pile of rubble and stepped back into the street. Orochi had gone. Riot and … and 'the new guy' murmured in the back of his mind. He knew he could ignore them safely. They had the courtesy not to bother him more than three times a day. Hopefully this 'new guy' would follow the rules. If he did, Iori would have peace until morning.

He walked back to the car, peeking in warily before taking his seat. Kyo had his head buried in his arms, unconscious.

 _Faggot you better be grateful._

Iori closed the door with a click and shifted into gear. He reached for a cigarette, and pulled out his lighter. He leaned back against the worn leather seats and shut his eyes. The ordeal left him spent. He was tired. It was time to go home _._

 _10:42 pm_

He placed the cigarette between his lips and headed down the street.

* * *

 _NOTES:_

 _* A 'sucker punch', sometimes known as a 'coward punch', is a punch, usually delivered to the head, that is completely unexpected. A hard strike to the chin is particularly effective. The shock travels through the teeth to the brain and rattles it - which results in a knock-out. Mouthguards can apparently help dampen the impact from chin strikes and prevent a KO - although this is not their intended purpose. Even MMA fighters (people capable of taking hits) can go down in a few strikes if they are unprepared. (See Ortiz vs Mayweather KO)_

 _Here are some notes concerning characterization._

 _* Kyo Kusanagi takes longer to get angry, but stays angry longer. Iori is a bipolar hippie._

 _* Kyo Kusanagi is a bit more sarcastic than Iori. But Iori goes heavy on the sarcasm when stressed, or in a dangerous situation._

 _* Iori Yagami talks to himself. Kyo has a few lines addressing himself, but he's not insane._

 _* Both are arrogant and rude. But Kyo is generally well meaning, Iori doesn't care._

 _* Kyo is a better fighter than Iori. He can take hits better - and is a more well rounded. Generally he tries not to kill people, so his style is less deadly (not weaker, the objective is to harm, not kill). Also he fights strategically. Iori doesn't ('pure instinct+reflex'/spidey-sense) - he's a glass cannon without a brain and whenever he fights seriously, he's trying to kill. (for the sake of this story I haven't had him kill anyone in bar fights - but he probably would've, and would be in jail)._

 _* Iori always refers to himself via his last name and occasionally his whole name. Kyo doesn't talk to himself that much, but when he does he refers to himself by his first name._

 _* Iori actually doesn't go around killing people in the streets - at least according to the Manhua - but other literature says he does so I just chose the angstier one lol._

 _*Noone reads this trash anyways lol. imma start writing song lyrics to artificially increase my word count for keks._

 _* Iori Yagami is has 4 voices in his head. One is his own, the second is Riot - who communicates primarily via noises and emotions. Orochi talks in Iori's voice. Now we got this new guy- he wants to eat guts. I've decided to separate Orochi and Riot into two distinct entities - which would make sense because at the end of KOF'97 Riot actually attacks Orochi. But yeah. I've styled some of his behavior off symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder._


	6. Tsundere Spiderman

_Maaai booiiissseee_

 _This chapter is legit 20 pages on google docs lol killme._

 _I haven't finished ch7 yet- but because we're switching perspectives for a bit there are no details to iron out. You guys get to have ch6 early._

 _3 new OC's in this chapter! They're super cool! I hope you like them! because I've killed them all._

 _The story is finally starting after 5 chapters lol._

 _Aight. let's get to it._

 _Lori's a scrub. (triggerme)_

 _I work hard to make my titles as asinine as possible - and only tangentially related to maybe a line... or word in the chapter. ha. gotem. (Get it? Tangent lines? Haha shoot me)_

* * *

 _Reviews keep me from becoming homosexual. But more importantly it keeps THEM from becoming homosexual. #Threatenwithyaoi #Idneverdoit #selfhatred #StateofFF2018. Lol jk do whateve u want. gimme at least a week for the next chapter- i need to send in 10page lab reports every week until June and they eat up my time. My life is hell._

* * *

A beam of light shown down through the heavy air. It's soft circle of illumination fell on the damp sidewalk and lit up the mustang's silver tire-caps. The ground was misty, it seemed to breathe. The moon had shrouded itself in fat heavy clouds. The dark veil sent down a light drizzling rain, filling the air with an opaque grey noise. Thunder murmured from afar.

The light danced solemnly upon the raindrops until it was interrupted by the dark shadow of Iori stepping outside his flat. The figure stood a moment before it began descending the staircase. The beam lit his back as he proceeded.

He had cleaned himself up considerably; he no longer looked like the devil. Instead he looked like he belonged in intensive care. He had taped gauze all over, and sported a darkening bruise on his cheek. He even managed to pop a vein in his eye, the blood dyed his sclera bright red. He looked positively miserable.

A grinding noise accompanied him as he descended the steps. He was dragged the corner of his thumbnail against the railing as he walked, scraping the surface layer off. The thin steel shredding lifted up from the the railing's surface, trailing him as it curled in on itself. When he reached the bottom it dropped to the ground to join a number of identically long metal shavings.

The landlady hated when he did that. At first she was shocked he was carving up steel with his bare hands, but after a couple times it just became a nuisance to her. He imagined how she might have complained to her friends about him. "This tenant keeps shredding my railings! I can see his finger-marks in the metal whenever I go there!"

He allowed himself a small chuckled, but his expression didn't change. He continued to stare solemnly into the street from the bottom of the staircase. The rain echoed as it hit the awning that covered the length of the steps. He watched the rain run down the sides of the plastic canopy as he finished his cigarette.

 _Umbrella?_

He decided against it. He didn't want to carry it around. Anyways, it was hot and the rain was welcome. Better yet it would keep the insects out of the air. Iori was tired of their constant droning.

He tossed the cigarette butt into the street and began jogging.

There was a hospital several miles from his flat. He was going there to search for medical supplies, he needed painkillers and some sutures. _Perhaps some bandages too, I'm running low_. He could have taken a car, but he needed some distraction. Running always provided that to him.

 _Take it easy though._

Half an hour ago Iori pulled up in front of his house, carried a duffel bag and an unconscious man upstairs, then took a shower. While changing his bandages he noticed the particularly nasty crescent shaped gash in his side had reopened. It was a centimeter deep and wept blood. He had done his best to tape it shut, but it was too deep to be sealed properly from the surface.

He would need to sew it up.

He slowed down a bit. Trying not to agitate the wound. It sent a dull ache through his core.

 _I still don't remember where that came from… Riot usually lets me know after a day or two. Sometimes he even cuts himsel- cuts me._

Iori focused on sidewalk. He didn't want to think right now. He needed a break from managing the voices in his head. He felt like he had been tasked to babysit a couple of psychopathic murders - and it wore on him. Sometimes it became so tedious he just went to sleep to be free from them. And if they didn't let him sleep he chugged melatonin.

Abandoned cars and debris were strewn about the street. Was that a mattress? There was a kitchen sink. _Who would throw their sink out the window?_

He stepped off the sidewalk to avoid a corpse which hung from an overturned vehicle. He turned his nose at it. It stank.

' _They're stinking'_ the thought burned in his brain, interrupting his blissful mindlessness. ' _The corpses stink. The zombies…. They're not dead. They're alive. They're alive. They're animals, They're humans, They're people. They're innoc-'_

 _Can you not?_

Iori growled. He didn't want a reality check. He was here to forget. He would deal with the zombies when they woke up the next day. The thought subsided, but tugged at his conscience.

Tomorrow morning, he would violently dispatch anyon- any'thing' that stood in his way. This was how he worked. Iori didn't break his commitments. And he had committed himself to violence this afternoon when he sent Riot out to rampage in the streets.

He breathed heavily as he ran. The rain was cool on his skin. He tasted metal in his throat, his tongue was still bleeding from when he bit himself earlier.

They were zombies. They were attacking him. So who cares if they didn't feel like opponents? This was America, and lethal self defense was perfectly legal.

Even if he went out of his way to kill them. Nobody would care - they were monsters anyways... no. They were just his prey. He was gong to hunt them down and kill them. The had killed Old Fart. They had killed his Landlady. They had killed his band. They had caused chaos in his city. They had ruined his peaceful existence. He hated being violent, but they had forced his hand.

Now they would taste his violence! Violence like they'd never seen!

Heat began building behind his eyes. He blinked.

 _Calm down Yagami. Relax. We can think about that later, okay?._

He conceded and looked to the sky. It was shrouded in puffy dark clouds. Rain fell on his face. The thoughts drifted away.

The moon was dark. Iori navigated by the light from buildings and streetlamps. He was glad the electricity was still on in his area, a few parts of the city had already been plunged into darkness. He didn't expect the power to fail after only a few days of neglect, but SouthTown was quite a large city with quite a large grid.

He rounded a corner and almost cringed as an obnoxiously bright light assaulted his eyes.

It was a tire store. It's white lights beamed out, illuminating the streets around it. It was a beacon of light, of hope, in the dark city. But Iori steered away, opting to run on the opposite sidewalk. He didn't want to investigate. He wouldn't, because he was afraid of what he might see. Was the building's floor filled with crouching zombies? Would he have to kill them? Look at their faces? He didn't want-

 _What? Hey! Stop that. Just run._

It took a moment for the image to dissolve. A knot began forming in his stomach. The wound on his side itched.

 _Easy there. Forget about that. Don't think. Run._

Iori closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

 _That's right. Relax. There we go… Left here, then straight for another half mile._

He stared forward into the rain. It pattered softly against the pavement and began forming small puddles. Thunder grumbled in the distance, he could just make out tiny flashes of light dancing through far-off clouds. Street lamps stood proudly in their places, craning their elegant necks to shine warm yellow light over him. The road shimmered as light danced on the rain. Occasionally he would pass oil slicks in the asphalt. They looked like melted rainbows being washed down the streets.

It was quiet and peaceful.

But not just his surroundings.

The quietness in his mind was almost profound.

How long has it been since he'd last been free from their voices? A month? A year? Not even Riot's ever present rumble could be heard. Iori didn't know why they were silent, perhaps they had gotten tired? Who knows what they were thinking. There was a madhouse in his brain. But tonight it was a quiet madhouse.

Iori cherished his silence. He relished it as if it were the sweetest music.

Two miles more. The rain was coming down harder now. He had laid his small towel over his head because the heavy raindrops stung when they hit. The cloth flopped about as he ran, threatening to fall away with the jostling. He had to stop and pick it up several times.

He needed it there - but not because the rain hurt. He needed to hide the sad empty streets from his view. Hide the crouching figures who moaned and muttered. The discarded debris in the streets that screamed chaos and abandonment. He could do without thinking about them - at least for now. He wanted to preserve his peace. He wanted to enjoy his silence.

 _They're just animals Yagami. Animals dressed like people. They're not victims. Don't you remember? Kusojiji-_

 _Shut up. I don't want to hear it._

He continued running, he had unconsciously increased his pace. The voice stirred him, caused his mind to wander against his wishes.

 _Where is Riot? Orochi? What are they doing? Are they scheming? Waiting for my guard to go down? … No. Stop. They won't attack anymore. It's been three times. Don't worry…_

He listened to the sound of his shoes slapping the pavement. A cat hissed at him and scurried out of his path.

 _The new guy… where is he? What's he doing?_

His eye itched. His throat burned.

 _Are they really just animals? Am I lying to myself? What if-_

He gritted his teeth.

 _They're not men and women. They're not even people. Not even living things. They're just there - like rocks or phantoms. They're not worth my time._

As he rounded another corner he caught sight of a figure. The creatures' glassy eyes reflected lamplight back a him from behind a glass storefront. The person crouched in the fetal position, their hands tucked neatly between their knees and chin. She stared at him. Her dark eyes, wet with tears, followed his movements. Iori felt sick. His stomach twisted violently within him. A burning sensation began festering in his chest.

 _Just objects. Nothing more, nothing less. Yagami, kill them. You've got to. They broke your peace. How dare they break your peace._

He ran. Streetlights were zipping past. But he couldn't outrun the strange burning. What did it say? What did it want? Where did it come from?

 _Kill them. Don't hesitate, Don't hesitate. Right or wrong, follow through. Choose your position and defend it. Defend it to the death. Those bastards deserve to die… And you've chosen._

Guilt? Him? Feeling guilt? There was no room in his head for remorse. Iori Yagami didn't feel guilt. He was sprinting now. So… what was this?

 _We're going to kill them Yagami. Because that's what we said. And we're stubborn. And we keep all our promises. And that's how we work! That's how we've always worked. That's how we've survived in this piece of shit world!_

Iori Yagami tore down the streets of SouthTown. He panted as he splashed through puddles, leapt over debris and hoods of cars in his way. His guts were wrenched, tied into knots. He was sweating, but not from exertion.

 _Animals Yagami! Just walking objects! Don't you dare. Don't turn from the path you've chosen. You don't have the luxury to be a coward. Face it. Embrace it. Kill them!_

He knew it. He knew it. His mind was made up. He would kill them. Even if they weren't animals, even if they were people - victims of some otherworldly disease, he would slaughter them. He would kill them even if they didn't deserve it. He had decided that. Right or wrong, he would do it.

So why? Why did he feel enough guilt to make him sick? He hadn't even done anything! This wasn't normal. This wasn't normal at all. Had Orochi been suppressing his emotions? Or was this sensation his doing? Did Riot keep him from feeling remorse? Is this what normal people felt when they killed?

 _Are you doubting yourself? Are you crazy? Are you suicidal? Iori Yagami cannot afford to doubt himself. Riot, Orochi, Newguy - they all want you. They're waiting for you to falter. To doubt. They'll tear you down. They'll take over. So, get your shit together Yagami and kill those animals. Kill them. Kill them. You need to, for your own sake. Kill them. Tear them apart. TEAR THEM TO PIECES._

"Who the hell are you!" Iori shouted into the rain. He started at the sound of his own voice. It echoed against empty buildings. He felt himself becoming increasingly angry as he ran. He was angry. And he was confused. Whose thoughts were these? Which thoughts were his? Who was that voice? Was it him? Was somebody controlling him? Orochi? Riot? Newguy? Where were they? Why couldn't he hear them? And where was this guilt coming from? That must be his, Right? Had it been suppressed? How much had he been manipulated thus far?

His eyes were wild. His heartbeat pounded in his head. He ran at full tilt.

 _Don't you dare lose yourself! Don't you dare. The moment you doubt you've been defeated. You've only survived by your sheer stubbornness. You said you'd do it, so do it. DO IT. KILL THEM._

He swung around another corner. The streets were flowing with water. He felt the grip on his sneakers slip, it sent him skidding into a parked car. He smacked into the metal chassis. Hard. His vision jarred.

Time stood still. Iori sank his fingers through the car's roof as he clung to it. He felt dizzy, endorphins mixed with adrenaline in his brain. He glanced down. There was a red spot forming on his shirt. The impact had caused the wound in his gut to stretch open. He felt hot liquid seep out.

The pain hadn't hit yet… it was coming.

He squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath.

 _Oh Fuuck._

He convulsed. The roof of the car cracked as the metal deformed under his grip. He pressed his forehead against the car window. There were stars in his eyes - white flashes. His mind went blank.

But he didn't stop. He pushed himself off the car and lurched back into the street. He started running again. The stain in his side continued to grow, he jammed an elbow down on it. The rain pelted him from above. It blurred his vision and soaked through his hair. He had lost his towel. As he ran the wound screamed. Pain egged at his mind, ringing like a bell. It blotted the thoughts out. It's pealing reverberated through him. Shaking him, trying to break him.

It shook him. It burned him. It cleansed him. It anchored him.

He listened to the tolling. He gave it the attention it craved. He rushed into it. It washed over him, under him, through him. It saturated his being. It confirmed him.

 _Welcome back Yagami._

He was back. He would never fall. The world was simple. If Orochi influenced him - so be it. If Riot screamed at him, it didn't matter. Was he to suffer guilt now? Fine. Nothing had changed. Nothing needed to change. All he needed to do was suffer.

 _I'm alive. And I fight. And I hurt. That's all I need to know. That's all I need._

Iori threw his head back and smiled grimly into the night as the pain wracked through him. It's earsplitting ringing had brought him to his senses. That tolling agony had been his salvation. He let it flow through his head and tint his vision.

 _It's been too long. Too long._

Iori had ignored the bell for a long time. He had to, he couldn't afford to be distracted by it. The ringing woke the Riot up. It stirred Orochi awake. And they were crafty. They knew pain made him weak. Hearing the bell was inviting them to attack.

So he never listened. He blotted it from his mind - he resisted his pain like his life depended on it. Because sometimes it did.

But tonight Riot was in a deep slumber, Orochi was nowhere to be found. Three times today they tried to take over, but there wouldn't be a fourth uprising. There never was, and tonight there wouldn't be. They might talk, murmur softly in his mind, but they never attacked. They were reliable guys. They Iori was left to savor his pain like a rare delicacy.

 _That's right. Hold on. Hold on to your promise. You're only responsible to yourself. That's how we work right Yagami? And we'll suffer for it. Like always._

Yeah. That's how he'd been living. That's how he would continue to live. Nothing changed. Fight. Suffer. Peace…. Break it. Fight. Then do it again. And again.

Iori fixed his eyes on the Hospital. The pain in his gut bolted him to reality. That was all he needed. A goal and an anchor. Life was simple again.

He rounded another corner, more slowly this time. He could hear his pulse in his head.

The rain was coming down hard. His sneakers were soaked from running through puddles. They made unpleasant squishing noises with every step. His clothes were soggy too, they slapped against him as he raced down the street. Fat lukewarm raindrops splattered against the pavement and leaked off building gutters. The sounds of flowing water echoed from the city.

It was becoming decidedly miserable out, and for a moment, Iori wished he were home. Then he remembered who was sleeping in his bed.

 _The little shit. He's the reason I'm even out here!_

He wouldn't go home. He couldn't be home. He needed to put some distance between himself and Kusanagi, because he wasn't allowed to kill the bastard until morning.

 _Just wait there Kyo. I'll beat you into the ground when I get back._

About an hour ago, after Iori carried his 'groceries' into the kitchen, he went to shake his passenger awake. But instead of getting up like he was supposed to, Kyo - still unconscious- swatted him in the gut and split his stomach wound wide open.

After a few moments of gasping, hunched on the ground, He stood up, slung Kyo over his shoulders and carried him up to his apartment.

Then threw him bodily onto the headboard.

 _If I didn't keep so many pillows, asshole would've snapped his neck. What a fucking shame._

Silence. No rumbling.

 _Oh. Forgot. Riot's asleep… Ha!_

Iori grinned. It felt good be angry without that guy's bloodlust invading his thoughts. Whenever the Riot stirred awake its wrath bled into him. All of his mental roommates influenced his moods to a degree, but Riot was the most prominent. Orochi was less of a nuisance because he didn't show up as often. And the new guy? Well, his voice was all but drowned out by Riot and Orochi. Iori had nearly forgotten about him. What did he want again? Oh right, he wanted to eat guts. Maybe he would crave intestine soup from now on? It didn't really matter.

 _I already try to eat people when Riot's in charge anyways. Newguy hasn't brought anything new._

 _... But I do wonder where he came from…_

 _Ah, here we are._

The hospital came into view and Iori shelved his thoughts.

The streetlights were on, but the large building was dark. There were no lights in the windows. The building's electricity had gone out… but the storefront nextdoor was brightly lit. Had somebody cut the power lines? Maybe there were survivors living there and they turned out the lights for the evening? Either way Iori had no intention of finding out. He just wanted to pilfer some medical supplies and he would be on his way.

Iori jogged down the driveway that ran along the side of the building, careful not to fall on the slick pavement. He was looking for the emergency room. He figured it would house all the supplies he needed. He didn't want to search the entire building of he could help it.

The light from the road only penetrated so far down the alley. Iori continued until it grew too dark for him to see. He stood there, panting in the rain as he waited for his eyes to adjust. The pain in his gut had become dull and numb. He re-adjusted the tape to again seal the wound closed. Then he pulled a half empty water bottle out of his pocket and drained it. The plastic bag he'd brought crinkled from the movement.

He had visited this hospital once before. The band's drummer had broken his leg in a skateboarding accident and needed a cast. Iori had offered to set the bones in a splint for him. He was pretty good at it, he had told him, he had plenty of practice. But the drummer didn't believe him, he hollered and cried until Iori dumped him outside the nearest hospital.

 _Then they messed up your leg Dave. You needed surgery to fix … whatever nonsense they pulled._

The rain was coming down in sheets now. The thunder was drawing nearer. Iori pressed himself against the wall, there was a small overhang that shielded him from most of the rain. He could see, but not well. At least he wouldn't walk into walls. He planned on using his phone light once he got inside the building anyways. And in the worst case scenario, he could always light his way with flames.

He proceeded slowly, groping around the building until he found an entrance. He could make out the word "EMERGENCY" printed in large red letters against the white building. The emergency department stuck out past the hospital's main structure. It was perhaps two storeys high.

 _Good. It's small. I don't want to search too long._

The large glass doors had been shattered and hung from their hinges. Glass shards covered the ground outside. Somebody had smashed their way out through here.

 _How many zombies are here right now? Ten? a hundred?_

Iori flicked on his cellphone and ducked into the building. He walked as silently as he could. The circle of fluorescent light lit his path. It was very quiet. Too quiet perhaps? He listened for breathing, or muttering - searching for any indication of zombies in the area. He would kill any that blocked his path.

There were none.

 _Empty? That's… very fortunate._

He stalked past the foyer. Keeping his eyes peeled for figures in the dark as he entered the back room. There were several corpses strewn about, all had been shot in the head. But there were no crouching infected. The survivors here must have been well armed.

 _Fast Yagami. In and Out. Lets go._

Plastic curtains hung from the ceilings. They created many small sectioned off rooms along the walls. Each held a bed and a monitoring device of some kind. They formed a long hallway down the center of the room. At the end of the hall was an elevator and a stairwell. There were also several large heavy tables near the back, they were stacked with medical equipment. Large cabinets lined the back wall.

One of the cabinets had it's door wrenched off. It's contents were scattered across the floor. Iori approached it rapidly. He had found what he was looking for. He pulled out his plastic bag, shook the rainwater off, and squatted down over the mess.

With the help of his phone-light, he began shopping.

 _Sutures, check… bandages- not these, find clean ones.… any painkillers? Maybe a tourniquet for heavy bleeding._

Iori had always performed his own medical procedures. He didn't trust doctors. He had too many enemies to place his life in the hands of a stranger... And he was quite proud of his proficiency in 'field medicine'. He had sewn up his own bullet wounds before, snapped joints into place, set and splint bones, once he had extracted glass shards from between his ankle joints.

 _What are these… Alcohol wipes? Nah don't need 'em…. Ah, the gauze. There._

Medical treatment for him was purely mechanical. Iori didn't get sick. He didn't get infections. There was so much poison running through his veins that bacteria and viruses just didn't bother him. Mosquitoes, the flu, all sorts of bugs turned their noses at cursed Orochi blood. And since he didn't need to worry about contamination, Iori's 'wet' medical procedures were unsanitary at their best and downright disgusting at their worst. They would probably kill a normal person.

 _Are these staples? Staples are good too. Oh! Surgical tape… nice!_

Satisfied, Iori stood up and walked over to another cabinet to look for painkillers. He pulled several bottles of pills off the shelves and read their labels before replacing them.

 _C'mon. C'mon… I don't recognize this stuff… the hell is oxycodo-… Wait, ibuprofen? Yes!_

"Hey."

Iori whirled towards the whispering, ready to tear into someone. His light illuminated a person peeking out from behind the cabinet on the far side of the room. They squinted at him.

"Hey, who are you? Your not with them right?'

It was an older man, American, maybe 50? He wore a set of glasses, but one of the lenses was missing. He was sitting on the floor. His knee was wrenched in an odd position.

"Who the fuck" Iori snarled. He dropped his bag and turned completely to face the figure. He pocketed his phone, plunging them into darkness, and raised his arms - ready for combat.

"Hey, hey, easy big guy. Be quiet ok?" The man hushed him frantically "the guys upstairs will hear you."

 _Guys upstairs? Survivors?_

"Who?"

"The military, or some SWAT team. They came through here and killed everyone." The man's voice was quivering.

 _The military is here?... Kusanagi you lying prick._

Iori replied in a hushed whisper _. "_ They killed the zombies you mean… Those guys?" Iori motioned to one of the corpses near the entrance. "Hey man, that's a good thing. They can get us out."

Iori took out his light back out and looked toward the stairwell. Glasses squinted at him for a moment, contemplating. Then he shook his head.

"Sorry kid. I'm gonna fall soon, and you've… you've got it too" Glasses whispered sadly. "They're here to kill us. And they won't rescue survi- Wait... they're coming!"

"What?"

"I said they're coming! Hide! Play dead! Just be quiet! Don't let them see you!" Glasses whispered. He ducked behind the cabinet.

 _I've got it? The infect- no. That's impossible._

The sound of stomping boots echoed from the stairwell. Iori had become agitated.

 _Impossible._

"Wait! What do you mean I've got it?! The hell have I got?!" Iori's voice grew increasingly louder. "Hey!"

"Shut up. Please. Be quiet! They'll hear!" Glasses whimpered from behind the cabinet.

 _Fuck it. Yeah. They'll hear. I'll make sure they do._

Iori grabbed his shopping bag and stomped over to the stairwell door. He slammed it open and looked up at the spiraling steps. There was the sound of boots, but there were no lights. They must've been using night-vision. He yelled into the darkness.

"Anyone there!? Hello-o!"

The stomping stopped.

There was no way the military was there to kill zombies. Why would they risk it? It would be much easier to just shoot the infected from a helicopter, they wandered the streets during the day anyways. No. This team was here for something else. Most likely for either information or survivors.

"You're Military right? I'm not a zombie! Get me out of here!"

Glasses had to be lying. Little bitch said _he_ was infected? There was no way - what did he know. Everyone was lying to him. Kusanagi, Glasses, fuck them both. This team could get him out of this hellish city.

"Hey! Hello?"

Silence.

… _shit. Why aren't they saying anything! Are they just staring at me?_

There was the sound of shuffling from above - then the distinctive click of a rifle's safety. Iori bristled.

 _No way. No fucking way._

His mind reeled.

 _Are you fucking kidding me?_

Adrenaline smashed into his brain. He was suddenly keenly alert - and time seemed to slow. He wanted to bolt. But the stairwell was a narrow concrete box. The gunman would expect him to run out the door. He wouldn't escape that way.

 _Listen. Breathe._

He would need to dodge the bullet before it was fired, which was fine if he could see where the gunman was. But doing it blind was a different story. Left? Right? If he dove too early, he would be killed while on the ground. If he ran too late he would be shot standing up. Sound didn't travel fast enough, his reflexes were good - but not good enough. He would die as as heard the shot go off. Nobody could dodge sniper fire in the dark…

Nobody but him. Iori could do it. Because Iori fought by instinct. He moved by instinct. He sensed things almost like magic. Jump. Move. Duck. Run. The small voice in his mind would direct him. His reflexes guided him… nobody could touch him.

 _But look what happens when you relax! You get your stomach split open by an unconscious person. Good riddance._

He stood still. Alert. Tense. Listening.

And listening. Listening carefully in the dark. He listened for that soft voice, his instinct, his intuition, that gentle impulse that had saved his life time and time again.

Finally it spoke to him.

It said _Move._

He lunged to the side. A bullet cracked into the tile where he was last standing. A shout from above: ' _kill!'_. The stomping resumed. It was getting closer and louder. They were coming down the stairs. Iori ran.

He tore through the door, past Glasses who shook terrified in the corner and into the parking lot. The rain was pounding down. Thunder grumbled. The adrenaline in his veins rushed to his head. His cheeks flushed, he felt anger flow down through him.

 _These fucks. How dare they! What kind of government response is this?_

Iori whirled back toward the building and sprinted to the hospital's exterior wall. He concentrated a moment before digging his fingers into the concrete. He climbed rapidly, leaving finger sized holes in a trail between EMERGENCY's N and C.

 _Kill them Yagami._

He clambered onto the roof and moved until he was directly above the doors. His plastic bag crinkled. Iori dropped it before approaching the edge. There he crouched, listening.

A gunshot. A scream. They echoed in the night to a backdrop of rain and thunder.

 _I guess Glasses wasn't lying after all._

The rain pounded down. The thunder boomed. Iori strained his ears.

…

There. The crunch of a boot stepping on glass. They had come outside. Iori exhaled a long breath and hopped off the edge.

He fell. His heart flew to his throat. Water droplets hung suspended all about him. Time slowed. Lightning cracked overhead.

 _Let's pull a page from Riot's book._

Then he lit up. A purple blaze burst out, it coated him from head to toe. The violent flames consumed the liquid in the air immediately. His clothes dried in an instant. Pain filled his brain as fire shrouded his body. His mind turned off. Instinct kicked in. He grinned a horrible smile.

 _Five._

He caught a glimpse of them as he fell. The flashing inferno which proceeded from him illuminated the figures below. There were four dressed in tactical gear and wielding guns. The fifth party member had his arms tied behind his back and a bandana over his face - he walked at the front of the group.

They looked up to see a red haired man drop on them like a burning missile.

 _Head._

Iori ducked to one side. A bullet whizzed by his ear - through the fire. It landed with a _splat_ on the concrete wall and began to dribble trails of molten lead.

 _Fight._

Four soldiers became four corpses. Three had been bisected, their smouldering guts spilled to the ground. Iori had charred the last one down to the waist when he landed on the unfortunate man's shoulders.

 _Beautiful._

The fifth man screamed and tried to run, but he couldn't move quickly enough while bound. He looked like a prisoner, but wore the same uniform as his late comrades. He must have been one of them.

Iori lunged at him, extinguishing the flames before tackling him to the ground. He planted a knee on the back of the man's neck and wrapped one hand around his throat. The man shouted and fought to throw his attacker off - to no avail. Iori reached over and sank a finger deep into the asphalt. He dragged it through the pavement toward the man's face. It made a horrible grinding noise. The fifth man stared at it in frozen horror as it approached.

Iori stopped ripping the pavement a couple of inches from Five's face. Then leaned over to growl into his ear.

"Talk, or die."

A nod. A muffled, choking noise.

"Are you Military?"

"SWAT. Were just looking for info… interpol…. They just need info. There's infections everywhere" Five's voice was muffled by the bandanna. His speech wavered - but quickly steadied. He glared defiantly at Iori with one eye. Another American, this time in his mid-thirties. He had a crooked nose and a scar across his eyebrow.

"Everywhere? Not just in SouthTown?" Iori tightened his grip.

"In-incubation time… it varies. Days even. Some evacu- some people they got out, bu-but they were infected... Some flew away. Infections… Start- Ack!" Five had silently begun removing the ties around his wrists. Iori saw it,grabbed the man by the hair and slammed his head into the concrete. Blood leaked, it was immediately washed away by the torrential rain. Five gasped in pain. Iori heard the sound of grinding teeth.

"Fuck! Get off me!"

"Answer and you'll walk. Why did you shoot at me."

He didn't answer. He just stared. Iori let the fingers around the man's throat pierce the skin - enough to draw blood.

"Talk!" Iori's patience had always drained at a legendary pace.

Five murmured something.

"What was that? What did you say?"

The man raised his head. His eyes were hard. "You… you really won't like what I have to say kid... Just let me go."

 _Little shit. I'll rip your lungs out._

"Talk bitch" Iori hissed. "Talk. Or I'll make you look like your friends. But it'll be slow."

Five lay there, squeezing his bound hands open and shut. The rain had washed the blood from the other SWAT members in their direction. Trails of red streaked past them.

"You… you're infected."

 _Huh?_

"What did you say?" Iori's voice was deadly calm. But his panic was evident. "Say that again. Say it clearly"

 _Me? I am?_

Five reared up violently causing Iori to flinch. He twisted around to face his captor. There was a snarl on his face. His eyes burned with fever. He spoke slowly.

"I said you're fucking infected. Can you hear me? Do you understand? You're gonna be one of those zombies soon! Maybe you'll last a few hours. Even a few days if you're lucky... But sooner or later you'll join them. You can't fight it. Nobody can."

Iori didn't move, but his face must have shown something. Because Five's anger quickly turned to sadness. The man flopped back to the ground and spoke into the concrete.

"Then we'll bathe this place in Sarin. Clean up the mess. Start new… But the two of us... we won't be part of it."

Thunder crackled overhead.

"What?! No. NO! Are you fucking kidding me?" Iori scrambled to his feet. "What the fuck! What the fuck!?"

 _No way. There's no way. I'll never be one of those things._

"... Sorry kid." Five had managed to sit up. He had untied his bonds. Iori didn't notice.

 _Shit. Shit. Glasses said the same thing right? Glasses said I was infected…_ _No way. There's no way… Am.. Am I?_

Iori's vision swam before him. He had been so concerned with killing zombies that the idea he might become one had never crossed his mind. How could he forget? It was an infection! It was contagious! But… but how did they know? Glasses… and now Five, how could they tell? Could both be wrong? Riot! Where was Riot! and Orochi!? Where did they go? Did the infection kill them? Was he-

 _Move._

Wha-?

 _I said MOVE._

Iori dove to the side as an armoured truck smashed into the building beside him. It's headlights were off.

 _Five? no way? that was too fast!_

He whipped around to look at where the man should be laying. There was nobody there. Iori scrambled to his feet and ran for the alley. A bullet whizzed by his head - Five must have shot through the window.

He rounded the corner and flew up the side of the building, climbing faster than he thought he could. His gasped for breath. Adrenaline pumped through him. His heart pounded in his throat. He grabbed his plastic bag and ran. And Ran. And Ran.

...

From the base of the hospital, beeping issued from inside the black armoured vehicle.

Then static.

… _Hello Gamma 5, this is Alpha 1. What is your location, do you need backup? Over._

" Alpha 1, this is… it's George Dimas…from Gamma 5, no assistance needed. Relay a message to command. We are not outfitted with encryption to bypass comms jam. Over"

 _Copy._

"Reporting highly dangerous infected individual. Asian, early to mid twenties, red hair dye. Last spotted near Hospital in Central district. Headed west. Purple fire and claws - possibly that one Tournament fighter. Took out our entire team in an instant. Over."

… _Casualties? Dimas do you need medical? Over._

"Alpha 1, It's a bite. I'll be gone soon. Over."

 _Officer George Dimas, lock yourself inside your vehicle and equip a gas mask. 12 hours until we drop Sarin over central. We will extract you after we've cleared the area._

"Copy. But just in case, send another message... to my wife and my son... Tell them Dad loves them very much, and he'll be home soon. Over."

 _Copy that Dimas. May God be with you._

"Thank you. Dimas Out."

* * *

NOTES:

 _Details concerning wound depth(continued)._

 _Ok let's do some math. The skin calipers test is a rough method of estimating body fat % via pinching the skin and measuring it. The dermis thickness is counted twice using this method, so we will subtract 2mm from our final measurement. Our goal is to reach 1 cm before getting through muscle. All these values are lowballs for the average human male. So take into account Lori's ripped asf. Let's gets started. You're abs begin to show at 13% body fat - let's cut our boi's down to 10 and we get a fat+dermis(corrected) layer of 20mm(2cm). Then, under dermis and subcutaneous are there are our abdominal muscle. They are ordered from 'outside' to 'inside'. External abdominal oblique, internal abdominal oblique, transverse abdominis. EO average to 7.4mm, IO= 10.8mm TA= 4.2. Total of 22.6mm=2.26 cm._

 _In conclusion, our wound didn't even get halfway through the subcutaneous(fat) layer. There isn't much blood flow there so Iori won't bleed to death yay. (Gain weight if u wanna survive a stabbing). (I wanted to find a blood loss volume for you guys, but it seems like nobody wrote an equation for how much you bleed from a hypothetical wound. Sorry)_

 _When you pop a vein in your eye it's called a subconjunctival hemorrhage. You can get it from getting punched in the face, or sometimes from sneezing too hard. It doesn't hurt. It just itches - i can confirm from experience. Don't google it its kinda creepy. Iori gets it every time he preforms this one move in KOF14 - which makes no biological sense. How dare they make their purple fire guy heal from a mild eye injury in only a few moments! 0/10 game._

 _"Oh shit. This story is about Iori becoming 'more human' and realizing the pain he causes when he hurts ppl!" Lol. No. don't worry he's gonna be unhinged all the way to the end. That's plot right there, you'll see the significance later on. never change fireguy, never change._

 _I don't know what Wiki is saying when they claim Yag fights with "Yakasani style... and instinct". wth does 'instinct' mean? So i just took liberties. And i think I took too many. powercreep - not even once. It doesn't matter cuz he's an idiot but still._

 _Iori never getting infections because 'he's too poisonous' is whatev. But by that line of logic, he shouldn't be able to get drunk either - or be affected by drugs which travel via bloodstream(painkilers etc...). so yeah. gg. just roll w/ it fam._

 _ibuprofen is a painkiller, so is oxycodone._

 _Sarin is a colourless, odorless nerve toxin classified as a Weapon of Mass Destruction. A person dies after 1-10 minutes due to paralysis of lung muscles. It is liquid at room temperature, but is highly volatile. The toxin can enter the body via either inhalation or through the skin. There is an antidote - but it must be administered immediately. Our bois are in trouble lol._

 _*Science shit start_

 _The power output required to melt a lead bullet as it passes over your shoulder can be calculated using simple physics. There are two steps in this process. First, we need to calculate the energy needed to heat the object. In this case, 30C to the melting point of Lead, that is 327C. Then we must find the mass of the bullet(40g) and the specific heat of lead(127)- which are constants we can just google for. (Q=mc\Delta(t)) The energy needed is 1511.3J. Next we need to melt the metal. Google for Lead's heat of fusion(J/mol), change mass to mols and multiply to get the total energy needed to melt solid lead into liquid lead. 921.74 J. Total energy output is 2433.04J._

 _Next consider the speed of the bullet(370m/s) and the width of the flame(~0.5m) to estimate the time by which this total power is applied. The total time is 0.00135s. So the energy output/time (technically the term is wattage lol) sits at a pretty 1.8million J/s._

 _*Science shit end._

 _Tldr: melting a bullet as it passes over your shoulder taxes a ridiculous amount of energy. Like marvel levels of power lol. but it sounded cool when i wrote it. Totes not canon btw._

 _BUT THATS JUST A THEORY! A GAAAME THEORY._

 _Temperature gradient not accounted for._

Was originally gonna make Dimas some sniveling idiot, but then decided that SWAT/military personnel are badass asf. Fun fact, Dimas is thet guy who tried to recruit me into the Navy once. He had the longest eyelashes I've ever seen on a person. They were shocking. Gave me a lanyard too. Still use it. I think Dimas is my fave character so far after Old Fart, whos based off this YouTube vid I saw of this Mexican driver... If you don't remember him, he died before the story even started lol.

 _Are you wondering why Kyo mentioned getting recognized in the streets in Ch2, but Iori never mentioned having fans despite being a big shot in KOF tournaments? It's because I completely forgot lol. I'll address it during ch7 i guess? Sry._

 _There is a single, very deliberate contradiction in this chapter - Iori says he never catches diseases and infections, and this holds true. Then we got Glasses + Dimas saying he's got the zombie disease. (the mechanics of the disease will be explained l8r). This is intentional and might give u a hint as to the nature of our zombie apocolype. cheers GUEST_

 _Iori just names ppl lol._

 _Kyo coming back next chapter. We're done with Lori for a bit._


	7. Car Stealers 5

_I'm back fellow grills,_

 _Did you know 78% of Fanfictioners are female? According to this study conducted in 2010 anyways. Link in NOTES. Kinda explains the amount of gay shit on this website lol. (ProTip: Say this when Yaoi is your guilty pleasure and you're trying to play it off cool)._

 _If you a dude leave a comment saying just that. I'll write whatever you want as the title of the next chapter. Make it as stupid as possible- (Legit, I'll write whatever- dont get me banned tho). Male privilege at its finest . No cheating. I wanna see if I can catch one of the elusive 22%. ch8 will go unnamed until I find one. (I've found one)_

 _Aight. So this chapter is boring asf lol. I'm back on regular schedule. Ch8 is pretty much done. Once I write Ch9 it goes live. Easy lab this week. I have time to write._

 _I said I'd explain some stuff in last week in 'Ch 7', but last chapter was so long I didn't even want to edit it lol. We're not writing 8k word chapters anymore. I'll address the stuff when it's convenient - prob before ch 10. Hang tight._

 _Real Talk: There is no real talk. There are only memes. ThE mEmEs JaCk!_

 _JK. Kyo much more straightforward than Iori. Cuz yanno... he's not insane . He's also a good deal smarter since he has attention to spare. Lori is always babysitting and doesn't have time to deal with the real world. (awww noo. Im sure Iori's smart too. He's just a little special ok?)_

 _Leona a fangirl. Kyo's a thermometer._

* * *

 _#Kojima4lyfe_

 _I've found a maan!*witch laugh* tbh I expected to name ch8 "Peanut Butter" or "HOMOLUST". Instead we get something relatively tame. Thanks TigerKing._

* * *

…

…

 _BEEEEP BEEEEP BEEEEP BEEE- *crash*_

A small digital alarm clock lay on the floor against the far wall. It's power cord had been yanked free of its socket. The numbers 7:30 faded from the clock's shattered face. An arm dropped from the bedside table to hang down off the mattress. Kyo snorted and cracked open an eye to glare at the broken device.

 _Damn alarm..._

The _damn_ alarm had woken him from the most fitful sleep of his life. He groaned into the pillow and flopped onto his back to stare at the ceiling through half-lidded eyes. Misty sunlight filtered through the blinds on his right. Daylight drew horizontal lines across the white walls. A low hum emitted from a vent on the floor as it blasted cold air. The room was small and sparsely decorated - the only items in the room were a bed, a table and a reading lamp. Kyo rolled into the pile of pillows to go back to sleep.

 _I swear the hotel pictures were better… why are there so many pillows?_

The sheets were coloured dark grey and smelled somewhat familiar. The scent wasn't bad, but it caused bile to rise in Kyo's throat.

 _I'll ask them to clean the sheets when I go down to the lobby… anyways, what kind of hotel sets their alarm clocks..._

His arm jerked. A bug bite on his neck began to itch.

 _Wait! What kind of hotel sets their alarm clocks!?_

Kyo jolted awake and scrambled out of the bed. The sudden action sent adrenaline rushing to his brain. His flailing had knocked over the reading lamp, shattered the bulb and left glass shards embedded in the carpet. He hunched over, staring down at them as he waited for his heart to slow and his dizziness to subside.

 _This… is definitely not the hotel. Where?_

His vision focused. Kyo stood upright and looked about - rapidly taking in his surroundings. Besides for the low droning of the air conditioner, everything was silent. Too silent for 7AM in the city. Kyo climbed onto the bed to access the blinds. He lifted them and squinted out into the street.

 _Why is it so empty?… oh._

Oh. That's right. There was a _fucking_ zombie apocalypse in SouthTown. He had miraculously chosen the _worst_ place to come for a summer vacation. Bad timing too! If he had booked his ticket just one day later, the flight would've been cancelled. Just his luck… why didn't he go to New York or something? Ah. Nevermind that. He'd mope later. Where was this place? How did he get here?

 _Wait. Mac's… Mac's Bar right? Yeah and there were those two zombies… and Yagami…. Yagami came to pick me up? Why would he do that? Nevermind. What then?_

Then he had freaked out and punched his rival in the face for running somebody over. They had fought?…. No, they didn't fight. Ah yeah, the asshole had… had shouted at a wall for half an hour… did he get confused or something?

 _While he was doing that, I fell asleep in the car.._. _So that means right now I'm in the psycho's apartment... Shit._

Kyo quickly checked that all his limbs were still attached. He half-expected to be missing a finger or two. He breathed a sigh of relief when everything was in order - Yagami had always threatened to carve bits off him, and Kyo never doubted his intentions.

 _Lucky. Guy kept his promise._

Kyo climbed back off the bed, then rubbed the bridge of his nose. It ached as if he had been hit by a tennis ball or… thrown face-first into the mattress. He was fully dressed too, except for one shoe which was shoved in the doorway. He opened the door and kneeled to retrieve it, then rose to stand between the bedroom into the living area. He leaned against the doorframe, closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

… _he's here… but … at least a few blocks away… yeah, at least._

Kyo always knew when Iori was around. Something in him reacted to the Orochi. Probably a familial thing, a vestige from 600 years of battling the demon. A distinctive heat rose in his bones when the Orochi clan - or hybrids thereof- were in the vicinity. When his blood boiled Kyo knew his stalker was looking for him. The burning was so reliable he had come to count on it for detection purposes.

The first time it happened, Kyo thought he was having an allergic reaction and rushed to hospital with his rival in tow. The medical personnel had assumed he and Iori were friends and sat the red-haired man down to assure him that ' _your buddy will be just fine'_. Needless to say it had been a profoundly awkward experience for both of them.

 _They wouldn't even let him leave until they finished my blood tests… his face when they finally let us out… fucking priceless._

Kyo scoffed and opened his eyes.

Of course he also burned with Leona and the Hakkesshu - but Leona was never around and the Heavenly Kings were dead. There was only one person with Orochi blood who ever came after him. Burning veins meant the idiot was nearby and wanted to fight.

 _The only time we met and I didn't feel it was few years back. He bumped into me on the street at like 2 am- scared me shitless. Was completely hammered and didn't even recognize me. Even apologized._

The sense had been helpful to him when they both lived in Japan. Not because he feared an ambush- there was an unspoken rule between them that required they fight head on. No, the burning had become a signal for him. A signal to either finish up whatever he was doing and find a suitable alley, or hop into a taxi and clear the area.

 _Glad he found a better hobby… It was getting pretty old._

Kyo kneeled to put his shoe on. The living room just as spartan as the bedroom: consisting of only a TV, an old couch, a coffee table and a folding chair. Tossed haphazardly on the table was a set of maps, which lay under a pile of bloody tissues, gauze and tape. To his right was a large window which overlooked the nearby rooftops. A guitar case and music sheets were scattered in the corner. An amplifier sat on the folding chair. To his left was a small ill-kept kitchen and the front entrance. His duffel bag had been placed on the counter.

 _Is he running from the law or something? Why is this place so shitty? Guy's not poor, Leona kept posting selfies at his touring concerts last year. They were so packed you could hardly tell what was going on… I still can't believe she managed to go to all of his shows…_

Kyo finished tying his shoe before warily approaching the front door. He leveled an eye to the spyhole and squinted out. There was nobody outside, just swirling white dust. The door opposite to his had been sealed shut. The doorknob had been melted off and it looked like the hinges had been welded together. A broken bottle lay on the welcome mat. Kyo turned his head and pressed a cheek against the wood to catch a glimpse of the iron gate and the staircase.

 _Nobody at the fence._

The hinges squealed as Kyo opened the door and stepped into the small courtyard. It was hot and humid, the sun was beginning to break through the clouds. A car alarm sounded from a few blocks over. A dog was howling from somewhere else. Water droplets hung from the edge of the roof and the canopy that covered the staircase. It had rained last night.

 _Where is everyone? The infected should be out by now… wait._

Kyo kicked aside the bottle as he approached the neighbor's door. He wanted to make sure the seal was strong enough to prevent any infected inside from coming out. He didn't want to risk an ambush.

 _A single scratch… That's all it takes._

He braced a shoulder against it and gave it a good shove - the door held, but the impact caused the odor of rotting flesh to leak out.

 _Ugh. Yeah… It's strong enough._

Kyo quickly turned aside and walked back to the gate.

Metal bars were bolted ceiling to floor, and formed a sort of cage over the courtyard. A portion of the cage was cut out and welded to the gate that led down to the staircase. As he approached the smell of burnt charcoal filled his nostrils. The same white dust that covered the floor powdered the staircase and the streets as well. It lifted and swirled about his feet as the wind blew. _Is this… ash?_

Kyo raised his head to look out through the gate. He leaned into it, searching for figures in the street.

 _There._

There were only two. One was a young boy with his ankle cauterized off, he would have bled to death if the wound wasn't burned closed. The other was charred black and unrecognizable - he… or she - had no legs at all. It was a wonder the person beneath was still alive. They were a good ways away but slowly dragged themselves in his direction.

Kyo scowled and involuntarily stepped back. Something cracked beneath his heel. He lifted it. It was a tooth, charred and blackened. Bile rose in his throat.

 _Yagami you sick motherf-... ugh._

Kyo cupped a hand over his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut. He strung his other arm through the cage and pressed his forehead against the bars. He took a moment to test his blood - Yagami was still far off… _Good. Go get yourself killed._ After a moment he relaxed and continued to stare at the two crawling figures.

 _Only two… there could've been a fifty… no, a hundred easy._

Iori had killed everyone and Kyo was going to benefit from it. He hated it. He would rather be the injured party. But he couldn't deny that Iori's murder spree was going to make his life a lot easier. It was already hard enough to procure a vehicle and get out of this labyrinthe city whilst avoiding military helicopters. Adding zomb- 'infected people' to the equation…would make things difficult. Very difficult.

 _They're people Kyo. Living, breathing, thinking people. Don't forget that._

He shook the gate by its bars to check it's stability then examined the clasp before returning inside. The mustang was still parked against the curb, it seemed to beckon at him.

 _Yeah. I'll just take the car. Yagami can stay here with all the people he's killed... He's probably infected already._

Kyo walked back inside, closing the door behind him. He looked around until he found a set of car keys hanging from a key rack in the kitchen. They were branded 'Ford'. He pocketed them.

 _Wash up and get going..._

He opened every door in sight until he found a bathroom. It was likewise small and undecorated, walled with cold white tiles. There was a bucket of bloody water on the shower floor, a white shirt floated there. A few red fingerprints stained the porcelain sink-top and water fixtures. He dug through the bathroom cabinet - knocking a large collection of hair products onto the floor - until he found a travel toothbrush pack. _Thank God._

He wanted to get out of the apartment as soon as possible. The two infected were slowly closing on on him. If they reached the staircase before he did, he might have to kill them to get through to the car.

And he didn't want to kill anyone. Especially not where Yagami had done just the same.

Of course he might need to. Times were dire and he was the only sane person left in the city. Everybody else was either controlled by a mysterious zombie infection or by murderous insanity. In any case, he wasn't going to die for his attacker's sake - even if they were innocent people. If he needed to, he would kill. Yesterday's ordeal was just too much, Kyo was in no hurry to repeat it. He was going to have to be crueler than usual.

But if he could avoid killing with minimal risk to himself, he was more than happy to do so.

Kyo finished up the the bathroom and went over to the coffee table and maps. He flicked a tongue of flame at the mess of bloody bandages. They burned to ash and revealed the maps underneath. Kyo sat on the couch, leaning over the table to study them.

Then almost burned them too as he realized all of them were written in English. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. Then shut his eyes. Couldn't anything lean in his favor? The maps just has to be in English right? Why didn't this guy keep anything in Japanese? _Do you have to always make my life hard Yagami? Can't you give me a break? Can't you just die and leave me in peace._

To make matters worse, he didn't even know what part of the city he was in… He would be hard pressed to orient himself even if he _could_ read the maps fluently. He tossed them aside. Should he just choose a random direction and risk it? He had a car now - travel would be much faster. But the military was here too, and they probably had helicopters. Could he afford to just go roaring down the streets in a bright red car?

Kyo let out a long breath as he deliberated.

 _It's that, or find the crazy murderer and convince him to help me. Yeah, No. He's probably infected now anyways… why else would he still be out?... Where is he?...Yeah, still far away..._

Kyo stood. He really didn't have a choice. He couldn't just hunker down and wait this out. Eventually the infected would spread out and repopulate this area. He needed to get out of the city. What direction should he go? What directions had Iori given him when he was at Mac's? Left was it for… fifty miles? And… where was he now in relation to Mac's? _Shit. I slept in the car. Don't remember a thing_ … _now what?_

Kyo sighed and picked the maps back up.

Southtown was a located on America's east coast right? So travelling west would get him out of the city. If he hit water, he would just have to follow the coastline until he was out. The sun rose from the east, and he would chase it across the sky. Hopefully the army didn't spot him - or if they did, they would ignore him.

 _Why would the army be going after survivors? And what is the communication jam for? Did the US tell the rest of the world there is nobody left alive here? This better not be some conspiracy shit._

Kyo shook his head. There was no use thinking about these things. He had a single goal, and that was to get out of this _damn_ city as quickly as possible. Once he got out, all his problems would be solved. Terry had said to avoid military, so he would. Terry had always proven trustworthy, and now wasn't the time to test his words.

Kyo rose from the old couch with a grunt and went to the kitchen. His duffel bag sat on the counter, he unzipped it and began searching through it. He found and pocketed his wallet and passport, they caused the keys in his pocket to jingle. He tossed his dead phone into the bag, then removed most of the bacon-n-beans from to replace them with a few beers and protein shakes he found in the fridge. He briefly considered leaving the cigarettes in case his rival survived and came back here, but decided against it.

He turned off the air conditioning and left the apartment.

* * *

 _NOTES:_

 _* FF Demographic study: (lol link wont post. just google Fanfiction 2010 demographic study_ _)_

 _* Dust does not swirl around unless it's dry out. But it just finished raining, there's still drops on the roof. So yeah. 0/10 realism, 2/10 Dramatic effect._

 _*Orochi's actually not a demon. He's just an environmentalist. A very violent one lol. He's all like, "Humans are disturbing the balance of nature, we gotta killem." Kyo, Iori and Chizuru are defending our right to drive deisel cars and dump nuclear waste in the ocean. Thanks guys *3*_

 _* You really can't seal a wooden door by melting the hinges_. _Kyo would definatly have busted through. I thought a long while about how to seal that door - but I've come up with nothing realistic. sry._

 _* In America we young peeps have some weird phrases. For example, "Yeah no" Means No. and "No yeah" Means yes. Yeah... sorry lol._

 _* Conspircy shit reeeee_

 _*FyI, Hakkesshu = The dudes who wanna bring Orochi back. ie) Chris, shermie Yashiro goetniz vice, mature and Yamakazi(except not really for Yama. His insanity is so strong he just straight up ignores Oro lol.) also Leona's dad apparently - like her biological dad(dead), not heidern._

 _*Also Ford Mustang. Brand and Make._

 _* Learn from Kyo. next time you wake up in your crazy stalker's house break everything. Make a mess and steal thier car. (there have been so many Yaoi fanfics based on this exact premise. but I don't think any of them ended in grandtheftauto lol)_

 _*If I emphsize something ad nauseum, it means it's important for future chapters. Just bear with it for now. I don't want to pull refrences three chapters down the line from like a single line of text and expect you guys to remember it lol._

 _*Next chapter = detectivve Kusagani_


	8. Smell the Glove

_Hue hue. (i'm late)_

 _Wow this chapter took so long to write._

 _Titled as requested. I would have titled it DUI, try and guess why._

 _Kyo's a fake car fan. likes cool engines but doesn't even own a car lol. jk im a fake fan too - I drive an electric(no gearbox). Top Gear is rad. You should totally watch it. I have a crush on Richard Hammond - He's adorable... and also old enough to be my dad ew_

 _RealTalk: Ch7-9(maybe 10) is Kyo POV. He's the only one who actually moves the story forward. I think I had like 3 chapters with Iori talking and literally nothing got done. Like he drives home - get punched, and steals stuff from a hospital in 14k words. It's just not economical. (unproductive employee)_

 _lol. jk I love writing for him he's nutty. Try to remember the voices in his head for ch9. cuz its important and RIOT IS BAE._

* * *

 _Note space._

 _Formatting Changes (5/10):_

 _* Chapter has been rewritten (5/14)._

 _* I'll keep science notes down to one topic per chapter. Since I'm the only one who cares lol. And generally they're just me ranting about whatever Lab made me do this week._

 _* I won't be posting anything for a month or two. The next section of the story is touchy and needs to keep it's details straight. I'll need to finish and polish at least 3-4 chapters before I post them so the plot doesn't freak out and shit itself._

 _* If you read this far leave a comment. Say you hate me. Dunno. I wanna talk to u doodds. Y Fanfic have no comment section like youtube?_

* * *

 _This monster! Haha._

Kyo couldn't suppress a grin as he flew down the streets. He had rolled the mustang's windows down to catch the blasting wind. The rumbling roar of the engine buoyed his spirits. He had been eight different kinds of upset when left the apartment. His mind was dwelling on the plight of the afflicted and the crimes of his rival. But when he walked down to the car and popped the hood for a peek at the engine, the sight of four turbochargers made him almost giddy. He couldn't help but cast his gloomy thoughts away.

 _Yagami you crazy bastard. This car is too good for you._

The chassis was old but had been cared for impeccably. The classic design sparkled in the sunlight. The machine exuded an air fierce toughness, it seemed to revel in it's speed. It thundered down the street like a mad warhorse. Kyo squeezed the gas and threw the car around a corner. It roared in response and skidded its back wheels at it made the turn. The smell of burning rubber and diesel filled the air. Upbeat rock music blared from the CD-player. The cacophony was fantastic. He was invincible.

 _What a beauty. What kind of engine is this? some sort of nuclear reactor?_

Kyo leaned back against the seats as the car ran down a long straightaway. He rested one arm against the windowsill - feeling the air dance around his fingers. The cracks in the red leather scratched at his back through his T-shirt. The morning sun was bright, and cast a glare over the windshield. The wind blasted and played through his bangs, flinging them about. The cool air helped to mitigate the heat and humidity. It was still hot, but Kyo was comfortable. The hearty smell of diesel filled the air. It reminded him of his own dear motorcycle.

 _I bet Dad's criss-crossing Japan with her right now. There's a reason I don't let him go joyriding with my bike. Ugh... I'll be scraping sand out of my baby's spark plugs when I get back._

Kyo placed his half finished beer back into the cupholder next to the carton of cigarettes. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses he had 'borrowed' from Yagami's apartment. _Polarized, nice._ His jacket hung over the passenger's seat, it flapped in the wind. The duffel bag sat in the back. The digital clock read _8:14AM_. The roaring mustang flew west.

 _This finally feels like a vacation_.

Kyo let his head fall to the side, there were more and more people in the streets now. They stared at him as he passed, but he needn't worry about them. The roar of the engine seemed to keep the horde away. They cleared the streets. They ran for the curb as he approached, scattering like insects - climbing over each other in their haste to vacate a path for him. Kyo had expected them to give chase, but it seemed they retained their survival instincts. Good on them.

 _I'd rather kill myself than be controlled like that… Wait, this is America. Aren't Americans all about freedom? Isn't 'live free or die' in their constitution or something? What are you guys doing? Don't be cowards._

Kyo shook his head. They weren't worth his attention. He had enough on his hands as is. The military was still out here, and the fire in his bones was growing hotter. He just wanted to enjoy the drive. He turned the radio up and yawned.

The mustang roared as it flew down the streets. Streets framed on both sides with wide, hungry eyes.

 _You're hungry? Hah. Pretentious._

How could they hope to take _him_ down? Him? Kyo Kusanagi? Nonsense. They were like sheep hoping to hunt the wolf. Like rats stalking a snake. He was a shark swimming through a school of minnows. Yeah, exactly like a shark. He was a monster driving a monster of a car. If Yagami had cleared a neighborhood, he could take a city- easy.

Kyo stretched his left hand out toward the wing mirror. He ignited the tips of his fingers, and watched the hot flames dance in the wind.

 _No, they've got no chance. The fact they're even trying is an insult. Even the military will need a few squads to take me out…. Well as long as I don't get sniped, or nuked. The US has always been trigger happy with their bombs and stuff- Whoops._

Kyo swerved, narrowly missing a mangled figure dragging itself toward the sidewalk. Kyo cursed and righted the car. _These little… get out of the way! Don't get shit on my car._

Kyo glared at the it in his rear-view mirror.

Behind him the infected spilled back into the road. They stared at him hungrily as they spread out into the street. The rising sun illuminated their grief-stricken faces. The mangled figure had reached the curb. Its arm was lifted into the air. Kyo squinted at the retreating image.

 _Is that?..._

Hands from the crowd reached out to the crawling figure. They helped it out of the road and out of Kyo's sight.

But he had seen it.

 _No way..._

He had seen it. Clear as day, the single finger salute.

 _Shit. Shit Fuck._

Kyo's breath caught in his throat. He grit his teeth as his spirits dropped like a stone. He rolled up the windows. His bones burned.

 _I almost killed somebody..._

And they were somebodies. They were human beings. They were people. They felt indignation. They felt anger. That person was pissed off because Kyo had almost run him over. The people in the crowd were compassionate - they helped him out from the street. Even when they themselves were suffering they helped each other in what little ways they could.

Not only were they people, they were good people. They were better human beings than he was.

 _Fuck._ _Dammit!_

They were the people who had greeted him with huge smiles at the Airport. They were the people who sold him hot dogs on the street. The street performers who waved at him as he passed. The waitress who couldn't understand him and got his order wrong. They were the fans who begged him in broken Japanese for hugs and pictures. They were good, honest people.

People who were just going about their business when the infection struck. Now they were in a living hell, forced to wander their city craving human flesh. Surely they didn't want that. Was that why they murmured and cried? ... Ah.

He had been heartless. He had been cruel.

 _Fuck._

He continued to drive. The giddy arrogance drained right out of him. His bones continued to burn. The sun's merry rays continued to sparkle against the car's shiny paint job. Sunshine seemed out of place here - almost inconsiderate. It should always be raining at funerals, sunshine had no place in this grim city.

 _But He makes His sun to shine on the good and on the evil… And His rain to fall on the miserable and joyous alike._

He sighed and stared forward through his glasses, his mouth set in a grim line. There were a couple of cars blocking the road ahead. He turned into a small cross street to detour.

There were many more infected in this area. They piled onto the sidewalks to avoid him. They stared at him - some covered their eyes, others reached out toward him, still others gnashed their teeth. Kyo felt sick. He averted his gaze and focused on the road.

 _The neighborhood around the apartment should be just as populated. But..._

But Yagami had killed and disposed of every person within a mile of his house. Kyo saw the charred teeth and bits of jewelry scattered in the road for blocks and blocks. What did it look like before the rain washed the streets? It must've been a bloodbath. Just yesterday that fine white ash had been…

Kyo flinched.

Shit. They had been his neighbors!

 _How the hell?... he killed all his neighbors? The people he saw and talked to everyday. Just like that? Murdered? Were all of them even infected?_

Kyo gritted his teeth. Hot indignation flooded his head. His blood boiled. It was one thing for _him_ to treat the infected as objects. Yeah, it was bad, but he had never met them before. They were complete strangers to him, yet it still tainted his conscience.

But Yagami, without a shred of remorse, had murdered the people he lived side-by-side with for two years. The people he saw on the streets everyday. He hunted them down like dogs, slaughtered them like pigs - everyone in his entire neighborhood.

 _Can a human being do that? What was he thinking? How depraved do you have to be?_

Kyo bared his teeth.

 _That's... That's like if I decided to go hunt down everyone I went to school with... No. This f_ _ucker deserves to die. Fucking Psychopath. I bet he's been waiting for this! Just itching to dig in and kill people._

Iori was amongst the most dangerous of tournament combatants. The typical KOF contestant could take on organized gangsters easily; and the typical KOF contestant would be cut down in a few minutes by that soulless redhead psychopath. Pitting the infected against Iori Yagami was a bad joke. It was not a contest; it was more like a game. A game of slaughtering sheep or shooting fish in a barrel.

And he played that game. He played it with great enthusiasm.

 _If he felt bad he wouldn't have killed so many. It would've taken at least a few hours to finish the job. More than enough time for self-reflection. I bet.. I bet it was fun for him … He was probably laughing the whole time._

Kyo's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. His thumb traced the bloodstained handprints embedded in the stitched leather.

 _Did Orochi make him do it?… no the Blood Riot doesn't last that long. Besides, last night he killed that woman like it was nothing. He slit her throat while she was clutching her child's corpse. It was him. Perfectly sane Iori Yagami committing mass murder. Damn, should have punched him harder, should have split his skull right open._

Kyo glowered at the road. He felt his cheeks flush in anger. He tightened his focus. There was much more debris on this street. He had to steer around crashed vehicles and dead bodies. The hot humid weather caused them to rot quickly. Flies lifted from the corpses as he drove around, and occasionally through them. The smell was rank, pungent and unbearable.

 _So...Wait. Wait. How the hell am I alive? He finishes killing all his neighbors, then has a change of heart and spares me? That's impossible. He's wanted to kill me for years… and I was passed out. Asleep. He could have just reached over and slit my throat. That would've been it. Dead. Done._

Kyo exhaled through his teeth. He usually had a good idea what Yagami was thinking, murderous rage wasn't too hard to figure out. But these recent developments were strange, the broke the mold. _Why did help me?_ _Did he feel bad about killing everyone and decided to atone? No, bastard doesn't feel guilt… where is he anyways... wait._

 _What?_

Kyo blood was boiling. He hadn't noticed it because it was so gradual. _Unnaturally gradual_. It was normally much faster. Nevermind that. Yagami should be…

 _He should be... right here? What? On top?_

Kyo braked hard. The tires squealed as the mustang skidded to a halt. Something in the engine hissed and the scent of burnt rubber momentarily overrode the smell of rot. Kyo threw the car into park and climbed on top of the driver's seat. The leather squeaked beneath his soles. He listened for movement.

That sudden stop would have thrown Iori off the roof. Kyo was mildly disappointed when nobody tumbled down against the hood. He was prepared to burst through the windshield and snap his rival's neck. He extinguished the flames on his fist and leaned forward against the dashboard to look to the roof.

Nothing.

Heat rose from the road in hazy waves. The engine droned. The air seemed to hiss. The car baked in the sun. Kyo crouched inside it, motionless, breathing carefully. He turned slowly to squint through the rear window, then at his mirrors. He searched for red hair.

Nothing.

The hordes on the sidewalks stirred. Kyo paid them no mind. They weren't the chief threat. He briefly considered driving off, but decided against it. He was a fantastic fighter, and a _pretty_ good driver. But multitasking would get him nowhere. If Iori decided to tear the roof off while he was skidding around crashed vehicles, he would either lose the car or his head. Perhaps both.

It was better to stay put and deal with Yagami now. So where was he hiding?

 _He should be right here... What the hell? He never sneaks around like this. What's going on?_

Kyo clambered back onto the dashboard to check the roof again. He was beginning to panic. Was it too hot out? Was it affecting his brain? Was his mind playing tricks on him? No. His blood had never betrayed him before. His senses were reliable. They had never failed him. If his blood curdled and his bones screamed danger it meant Yagami was nearby.

And if he was nearby, he was dangerous.

Kyo needed to find him and break his neck.

"Get out here asshole! Come out and fight!"

Nothing. No response.

 _Fucking fuck. Are you fucking kidding me? Don't ignore me asshole!_

"Yagami! You slimy sonovabitch! Get your ass out here!"

Silence.

The sun glared off the hood. The road ahead steamed. Insects whirred through the air. Everything was very still. Kyo was becoming very concerned.

He had dealt with his fair share of assassins. They came after him right around Tournament time. He usually had his eyes peeled a few weeks before and after the event. He would seek out these silent killers and feed them their teeth until they promised to stop bothering him.

But Iori wasn't a silent killer. He was extremely conspicuous killer. One who took no action to conceal himself and made a habit of loudly proclaiming his intentions. He was usually on fire too. When he was out for blood- usually Kusanagi blood- he was so raucous and bizarre that he'd become a town novelty.

 _And the police don't even bother arresting him anymore. They just mail noise complaint fines to his door. I wonder if he pays them... Ugh, I'm burning up. Where is that bastard? I'll feed him his teeth._

If the public could track him down with relative ease, it was a trivial exercise to Kyo. An exercise made even more trivial by his built in Orochi radar and five years of practice. So where was he? There was no doubt Orochi blood was here, and that meant Yagami was here...within twenty-five... thirty feet.

 _Who else can it be? Leona? No. She's in Argentina. It has to be him! Why can't I find him? Not on top of the car… Underneath? No way, I would have notic-_

*BANG*

"HOLY FUCK!"

Kyo had been staring up at the roof when horde had closed in on him. A man smashed his forehead against the driver's window. His hands clawed at the glass just inches from Kyo's face. Jagged lines appeared on the window as it cracked. The man's eyes bulged out of his head and his mouth hung open. He was drooling profusely. He screamed, throwing spittle against the window.

"EAT! EAT! EAT!".

The mob rushed upon the car like a wave. They pushed in on it. Their hands and faces pressed into the windows and doors blocking out the sunlight. The car creaked under the pressure. Kyo saw the whites of their eyes mashed against the glass. They screamed as well. Others chanted. A few remained on the sidewalk sobbing.

"Eat!... Eat!... Eat!"

Kyo recoiled violently before falling into the seat. The motion caused his glasses to fly off his face and onto the dashboard. Adrenaline punched him in the brain. He threw the car into gear and stomped on the accelerator. The powerful engine released a deafening roar before plowing through the mob, crushing skulls beneath its tires.

A teenage girl had flung herself onto the car's hood and scrabbled at him. Her acrylic nails snapped free as she grabbed at the windshield. She screamed and gnashed her teeth, leaving saliva all over the glass. The speed sent her sliding off the hood and into the street. She yelled until her voice was silenced by the crunch of splitting bone _._

As the car picked up speed the horde retreated. They stared at him from the sidewalks. They staggered toward their slain. Kyo smacked at the rear mirror so it didn't reflect the scene behind him. He knew his tires were leaving streaks of blood on the street. He could hear entrails flapping from his wheels. There was spittle all over the windows. A blue acrylic nail lodged underneath the windshield wiper. The base was bloody, it had torn the natural nail off.

Kyo replaced his sunglasses and fixed his eyes forward. He turned his music louder. It shook the car and thudded against his eardrums. The engine caused the car's interior to warm considerably. He tried to put the window down, but the attack had damaged the mechanism. Without the wind, the heat had become nearly unbearable. Sweat trailed down his neck and dripped from his chin. He took a sip from his beer.

… _So._

His brain was numb from shock. He was trembling from the adrenaline. The sun danced. The streets stank. The blood in his veins was still searing. No, it was getting hotter.

… _That was… that was murder wasn't it?_

He steered the car around the husk of a burnt bus. There were arms hanging out of the windows. Some had chunks of meat taken out of them… bites. The sunlight gleamed brightly off bloodstained watches, rings and bracelets.

 _No. That's definitely self defense. They want to eat me. Like zombies… they want to spread their infection. One scratch is enough. Just one._

Kyo shuddered. He turned the radio up again. His progress slowed down as the streets were littered with more and more wreckage - but he didn't dare slow too much. If he did, the horde would close in on him. If they broke through the car, he was as good as dead. Sure, he could fight off a hundred of them easily - but a single hit, a single bite meant he lost everything. And he couldn't afford to lose everything. He was no shark swimming through minnows. He was a rat running through a maze of mousetraps.

 _I need to get out._

Kyo could almost feel his nerves fraying. He breathed deeply, but it didn't help. The road ahead was long and straight - almost surreal. It was bordered on both sides by tall, sad buildings. They already looked derelict, windows smashed and walls broken through. Most likely from looting after the evacuation order was issued. There were corpses too. The sun shone harshly upon them, casting the ghastly figures in sharp relief. Heat waves lifted from the street. Flies swarmed over the earth. It was disgusting. Kyo squeezed his eyes shut.

 _We're gonna get out of here Ok? Come on. You've got this._

Yeah.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and refocused on the road ahead. He shifted his hands on the wheel. The bloody handprint-shaped stains caught his eye. He traced them with his thumb. Perhaps Yagami had killed out of self-defense too. It was certainly excessive- cutting down everyone in his city block... but maybe not. Terry was right, the infected were violent. Really violent. Much more so than yesterday.

 _These handprints… they're Yagami's. He wasn't trying to kill me at all. The opposite actually..._

Yesterday had found Kyo dead tired and halfway insane. He wasn't in any sort of fighting condition. Sure, he probably could have taken on a couple of thugs - but not the Blood Riot. No, definitely not. Hell, Riot was a tough opponent on a good day. And yesterday was the worst day.

 _Ugh. That was a pathetic show. Good thing he didn't come after me…_

Yagami had fought the Orochi last night. He had torn holes in his own head and bled everywhere as he struggled against that voice in his mind. The voice, _voices?_ that wanted Kyo Kusanagi dead. And he would've died.

If Yagami hadn't fought, Kyo would've died. If he hadn't won, Kyo would've died. Iori, who had spent the last five years trying to kill him, had spilled his own blood to preserve his rival intact. It made no sense, but it didn't change the fact that this blood, Kyo lifted his thumb off the wheel, was spilled for his sake.

 _He saved your life and you've been wishing death on him. Good job. Now he's a fucking zombie._

The blood left a dark smear on his palm. Kyo hastily rubbed it away on his jeans.

 _Stupid… STUPID guy got himself infected. Fuck._

Iori's 'self defense' policy had him bathing in zombie blood. It sent him out to hunt down and slaughter everyone who lived nearby. He had always been a messy fighter, and clearing the neighborhood would have been a messy ordeal. He was the type to rip organs out and paint the walls with them. He usually walked away from fights dyed some shade of red. And that _wasn't good_ if blood was the disease vector.

The old Mexican shopkeeper had contracted the disease from a single contaminated scratch. People had gotten infected from the residual blood on teeth and fingernails. It only took a single scratch, but Iori had gone above and beyond the call of duty. He fought until he collected a number of open wounds, then went splashing around in infected blood. _Great job_ _moron_ _._

He probably deserved some sort of award for that level of idiocy.

 _Fucker's probably wandering the streets right now with the rest of the infected. I can't even imagine how angry he is. Ha..._

 _..._

 _Fuck._

 _... that sucks._ _This sucks. This whole situation just blows. It's too fucking hot out._

The heat had become unbearable. Kyo was soaking through his clothes. His face was shiny with sweat. His bones seared within him like firebrands. The horde looked at him from the sides of the road. Some stared hungrily, others sobbed, some did both. He scanned the tops of their heads for red hair.

 _He's alive at least._

The signal in his blood was as strong as ever. It confused him. His Orochi radar had never failed him before. He had thought it was foolproof. Until now. Because right now it was telling him: ' _Iori Yagami is sitting in your lap'._

He wasn't. Thankfully.

The car rounded another corner. There was a building burning a few blocks ahead. Thick black smoke billowed from it - expelling a great grey cloud against the clear blue sky. The sun shown down from high above. Kyo glanced down at the time. _8:34 AM._

 _Already 20 minutes since…_

He started.

 _Hold on… How far have I gone? It's been what… ten miles? That's…_

He turned to look at the street behind him. It stretched into the distance. Figures wandered to and fro across it.

 _What the fuck? It's way too far!_

For as long as he remembered, he never sensed the Orochi blood until Yagami was within a few blocks. The signal never persisted after a quarter mile. Half a mile if he was in full Blood Riot- half a mile at _best_. But Kyo had already driven twenty times that distance. Why was he still burning?!

 _Did Vice and Mature come back to life again? No. Even the Hakkesshu don't have such a large aura... Orochi maybe? I need to call Kagura… something might have happened to the seal. Ugh - Later. Get out first._

Kyo brushed his hair back. It was slick with sweat and clung to his scalp. He reached back for a water bottle and emptied it over his head, cursing himself as he did. The water was _hot_.

The heat was making him dizzy. He would have smashed the window open, but the smell was worse than the temperature. There were more and more dead bodies in the streets here. Many had been trampled. Some weren't even recognizable. Kyo shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. His vision was beginning to swim... or was that the heat rising from the street? He gulped air and adjusted his glasses.

The huge smoke cloud was nearer now. It rose to his left. The sun shone from behind him. It scorched the earth. His bones burned hotter and hotter.

 _Am I hallucinating? There's no way it's Orochi right? Why would he be in SouthTown?Shit. This place is just too fucking hot….or is it me? My head hurts... Wait. What's that?_

He smacked the CD player until it turned off. The music had been so loud he hadn't noticed the thudding from above. _Something_ was casting a menacing shadow over the hood of the car. Kyo leaned forward to looked up through the windshield.

A helicopter hovered directly above him.

 _Oh Shi-_

 _*_ BANG _*_

Kyo jumped as a bullet tore through the roof and lodged into the floor of the passenger's seat. The bullet smoked where it hit - he turned to stared at it. A beam of light shone through the hole it left. Sunbeams danced on the dust in the air. He stared at that too.

 _Are you fucking kidding me?_

The car roared. An alleyway was coming up to his left. It was narrow, and the buildings around it were tall - the helicopter would need to gain altitude to follow him - hopefully they wouldn't shoot from such a height.

 _Zombies on both sides, Yagami... in the gearbox or something, and now a fucking helicopter. What kind of bad joke is this?_

Kyo accelerated. The car lurched forward and around around the corner, its tail rode up on the sidewalk and banged against the alley's brick wall. Something shattered, but Kyo didn't care. He was too busy raging at his situation to spare empathy for his stolen vehicle.

 _Who the hell is stacking cards against me? How the hell am I supposed to hide from a helicopter while running from a horde? What the hell. Do you think this is some kind of game?_

The smoke was emitting from one of the buildings on the street ahead. It was close by and it could have been his salvation, but a stiff wind blew the smog away from him. It didn't shield him from helicopter's sights.

 _Fuck Fuck Fuck. Fuck this. Fuck everything._

The aircraft flew overhead like some wretched bird of prey. It slowed near the end of the alley and dipped to hover over the the street. There were infected in the streets below it, but they seemed to ignore the helicopter. Instead they surged toward the burning building.

 _Fuck you especially. Fucking military._

Kyo clenched his teeth as he tore down the alleyway toward the helicopter. He fixed his eyes on the figure aiming at him from the cockpit. He had to keep moving. He couldn't stop to reverse and there was no room to turn. If he stopped not only would he becoming easy pickings for the sharpshooter, he also risked another attack by the infected. The cloud of smoke would be his salvation. Kyo made a beeline for it.

 _Shoot me! Do it pussy! But you'd better aim true and hit me right between the eyes. Because if you don't I'm gonna jump onto your cute little helicopter and roast you alive you fuc-_

The aircraft suddenly dropped to one side. One of the infected, a tall asian woman, fell face forward into the street. She had caught the bullet in her skull. Kyo roared and smashed the horn.

"You fucks! get down here and fight me! I'll chop you apart!"

Kyo continued howling as the helicopter recovered and retreated higher into the sky. He had forgotten his misfortune and discomfort and wanted nothing more than to tear that aircraft to pieces. He noticed another building up ahead had caught fire.

"I'll kill you! I'll fucking murder you all! I'll gut you like a fish!"

Something flew at the helicopter from the smoke cloud. It dropped to the side again to dodge it, then lifted higher. The projectile continued on its trajectory. Its graceful arc ended somewhere behind him.

Kyo choked as it passed overhead.

It was a stop sign.

It was on fire.

Purple fire.

 _Fucking Yagami. Godammit_

* * *

 _NOTES:_

 _* Did you know I pretty much upload exclusively past midnight lol I'm so tired._

 _* Kyo do an angery. wow. very scare. (2012 memes)_

 _* I know Kyo isn't supposed to be all bipolar lol. He goes happy-angry-sad-angry. But it served my purposes for what I need to reveal this chapter. He'll be more stable later on. I know the thermometer thing is boring but it's important. I don't know how else I would drop hints without maybe Chiz outright giving Kyo a phone call and saying whatv. (_ _think of Kyo's orochi metre according to coulomb's law)_

 _* Finally our couple gets back together! awwww adorable._

 _* A game of slaughtering sheep or shooting fish in a barrel_ _. Or: Hunting deer from a helicopter with grenade launchers. Shooting down pigeons with surface-to-air homing missiles. Hunting jackrabbits with hydrogen bombs._

 _*Science shit start_

 _*Polarized sunglasses are the best thing since sliced bread. They actually have their roots in the physics of light. Consider an Electromagnetic wave. It consists of a magnetic and electrical part, which are perpendicular to eachother. The 'direction' of polarization is generally defined as the 'direction' the electrical component is pointing. Mostly light will be coming at you with an equal mixture of polarizations - this is where polarized sunglasses work their magic._

 _Polarized lenses are filters which only allow light of a certain orientation to pass through - so, perhaps it will only allow waves of the +1/2 spin through. You will see half the light with no impact on visibility. However, when light reflects off a surface, it will oftentimes be polarized in one direction! This is why fisherman, who wish to reduce the glare coming off water, wear polarized sunglasses._

 _You might be thinking - hey, but if you buy the wrong glasses, you catch 'all' the glare right? Right. 'fisherman' sunglasses have a transmission axis specially oriented (vertically) to block glare from the water's surface. Usually this does the trick for other kinds of glare too, like glare coming off that car in front of you. (if you drive, buy some polarized glasses)_

 _Okay last thing about polarized lenses. Your cell phone - or many LED displays for that matter - only emit light of a single polarization. If you own polarized lenses try to look at your phone with them on - then rotate your phone 90 degrees. If your screen goes black, it means your phone only emits polarized light. If it doesn't either your glasses aren't polarized and you got scammed, or your phone emits unpolarized light(pretty rare). We rotate 90 degrees because the light waves are perpendicular(right angle). Physics is cool bruh._

 _*Science shit end._

 _Tldr: go buy polarized sunglasses._

 _* I'm kinda bad at writing action scenes._

 _*'live free or die is not in the American Constitution. Rather, it's the official state motto of New Hampshire. Badass right? It's also a movie._

 _* I feel I'm not giving Kyo enough characterization and it's bugging me. He's a badass but all the situations i've stuck him in so far just make him freak out. Ugh. What to do~ should i make him beat up on yag? nah I don't think boi can handle any more abuse, im starting to feel bad for him ;( (come here bby lemme squeeze you). I'll just make Kyo grow a lumberjack beard or something._

 _Next ch = get ready for no chill yag? cuz boi has no chill._

 _*Cyalls in like July_


	9. Fire Buddies

TMW when u dont care anymore lel.

Anyways, its a pretty boring chapter.

I didn't wanna switch perspectives too much, so this chapter is shorter.

Like, alot shorter.

* * *

Pandemonium.

Simple, pure, meaningless chaos.

The heat melted the noise. The noise shook the smoke. The smoke scorched the sky. The sky screamed.

It howled.

It could feel the agony of those below. Below, where the brew of madness and misery grew increasingly potent. It stank horribly.

Yet far, far above, was the sun. He smiled placidly down from his lofty height. He sent mocking beams down on the rotten city. Light danced merrily upon ruined people. Brilliant sunshine reflected off their eyes. Off their tear-streaked faces. The sun languished upon his throne and scoffed.

He laughed merrily at the flood of screaming people. He shook with glee as the burning building crumbled upon itself, folding in like a paper box. He roared with laughter as a car barreled into the street, crushing bodies beneath its steel chassis.

Kyo roared too. He roared in burning anger. Nothing was working. All he wanted was to leave, but Luck had thrown _everything_ in his way. It was making a mockery of him, and he would not be mocked. He wasn't going to lay down and take it. He was going to rage. He was going to fight. He was going to destroy anything that dared block his path. Yagami? The Military? Zombies? He wouldn't be stopped. He was going to crush them.

The people roared too. Some screamed in fear. Some screamed with grief. The rest roared their bloodlust. They were compelled toward it. They wanted it. They wanted nothing more than to kill him. To tear him to pieces. To grind him down… grind him until he became just like them. They surged toward that man who stood cloaked in flames. He opened his arms to receive them. They were going to crush him.

The flaming man roared. He roared in wild, pained laughter. His blazing purple armour seared his nerves. His mind was soaked in frenzied agony. A tolling bell rang in his ears. The building crumbled to ash behind him. He wanted blood. He wanted to bathe in it. He wanted to kill everyone, anyone. He wanted this war, he felt at home here. He howled in glee as he met the crowds. He was going to crush everything.

The helicopter lifted above the buildings as the red mustang screeched to a halt beneath it. A figure smashed a fist through the window and crawled out to stand on the roof. It yelled something at them, then seemed to combust into bright orange flames. The crowd surged around him like water.

The sniper lowered his gun and wiped the sweat from his eyes. He turned to yell over the wind at his colleague.

"Ay Mango, check it! Another crazy one. 2 o'clock."

Mango put away his radio and climbed from the cockpit into the hold. He patted the pilot on the shoulder before peering down at the second flaming figure.

"Aw shit Beck. I thought you got him. Put that rifle away and try the mini already... Hey Yung! Get us higher will you? Oh Fuck! watch the smoke!"

The aircraft rose quickly to clear a new cloud of smog. Their view was obscured, but the three soldiers guessed this fire was caused by the second flaming man. The clamor of the people below was drowned out by the roar of the flames and the mind-numbing beat of the helicopter's blades.

Beck holstered his rifle and dragged the helicopter's door closed. "Yeah, I'm not shooting through that, minigun or not. Let the chems finish 'em. More bodies for the scientists to pick apart. We're just here on recon anyways. Put in a report or something. I'm not gonna deal with this fire bullshit."

Mango shrugged and peered out of the window as Yung brought the helicopter around. They were treated to the rather ghastly scene of a man in purple flames tearing into the crowd.

"I'll bet one of my balls stop sign guy is T1. Holy shit man, he's really going at it. Check that out."

T1, Target one - the dangerous infected that took out Gamma-1 last night. Asian, red hair dye, yeah he fit the bill. T1 was wading through the crowd from the street corner where he had torn out a stop sign and pitched it at them. Yoga was it? Some Japanese name.

Beck leaned against the window and barked out with a laugh."Yeah, … Ha! what the hell man! The dude is actually on fire! I thought the tournaments were all CGI. Maybe I should go watch reruns."

"Alright, well mark their location. Command is dropping chems here at noon. And report the orange guy as secondary target T2. I heard that one PMC is coming on board to help us, so let them deal with this crazy shit."

The rifle case closed with a click, and Beck stashed it beneath one of the seats. "What do you mean 'that one PMC'? Like a good one, or a scummy one? I had a run in with OE back in Africa once and they were scummy as fuck."

Mango continued to fiddle with the radio. "Uh… it's called something japanese I think, but the boss called Heidern… Sounds pretty American to me."

"Hm. Never heard of them. Hey Yung, get us out of this hellhole."

* * *

I looked up the last name 'heidern' on the internet. A single result showed up from Ohio. Heidern a weeb.

PMC = Private Military Company (OE is one of the PMC's listed in Metal Gear's wikia)

If Yagami is the least efficient in moving plot foreword, I'd have to say Yung, Mango and Beck are the most efficient lul. Don't worry you'll never see them again. I don't like them either.

Also i promise it's not a gov't bio-weapon conspiracy.

I think the next chapter is the last short one. Then we're back to normal length.


	10. Truly Gone Fishing

Fast and dirty story writing. Short and sweet is where it's at. Until we go back to Kyo's voice lol since plot moves with him.

TMW when one of your main characters is actually a horror movie villain.

Sicario is probably the best movie ever. That soundtrack. (chills)

* * *

 _It's a beautiful day._

 _The smell is lovely. Sharp, like steel... Uhh. Incredible._

 _Painting, with my hands and feet. Red or black? Flames or blades? Where's my next canvas!?_

 _Ah. There you are. Come here…._

The figure laughed wildly as he tore into his next victim. Bodies surged at him from all sides, they launched themselves at him, clinging to him with their nails and teeth until he burned them off or ripped into them. He didn't seem to mind the wounds. He was too far gone.

 _I need more. More. More! Come Come! Let me paint with you! Let's paint together!_

The scene was hellish. Half baked bodies were piling up. Blood pooled, stagnant, in the street gutters. Flies swarmed overhead. Hot flames roasted the air; the heat causing it to writhe and distort. None of these things deterred the hoarde. They continued toward him, chanting and screaming.

 _What are they saying? … I can't hear a thing. Ah..._

It didn't matter. He didn't need to hear. He could fight blind if he wanted to. But then, he couldn't admire his art... and that just wouldn't do. He was glad he could see.

See the mass of people scuttling to him. Wild eyes were fixed on him, those eyes which reflected bloodlust and terror. They trampled through the bodies of their fellows to fall into his hands.

He received each of them.

And he slaughtered all he received.

And they kept coming.

They were driven to it. They knew this man was their death, but they needed him crushed… He must join them. He must be dragged down all costs - and if they were the cost, they would pay with their lives.

Unfortunately, he wasn't interested in being defeated. He was only interested in their lives.

He howled into the sky. He smiled his terrible smile, that distinctive grin that spread past his teeth and showed gums. A beastly, inhuman smile.

He cackled. He was happy.

Because he had just collected his eighth! These… these shiny things. Sometimes he would find them in their mouths. Sometimes in their ears. Some on the hands too. But the ones in the ears were the best. They shimmered and sparkled...

 _They're my trophies. Heads are too heavy. I can't carry them. Because if I carry them, I'll be too slow. I must be fast! Otherwise the king will come back before I finish._

The King. The Tyrant. The Oppressor.

 _He always comes back - the King. He's the king after all. He rules this place. He gave me a job. I'll finish for him. If I do it well, perhaps he'll send me out again!_

The crowd was thinning. Purple flames burned in the streets, only dying when they had reduced everything around them into a pale white ash. A pillar of orange flames blazed just up ahead. It was painting too, but only in black.

The Painter clicked his teeth in concern. The orange pillar was consuming his materials. He waded through bodies as he approached, and was pleased to see the hoard turn their eyes away from the pillar, and unto him.

He crowed in glee, and charged. Earrings clinking in his pocket.

 _I'm so glad I'm with the King. It's so tiring fighting him. I'm glad he likes painting now. I didn't think we'd ever becomes friends._

 _... Maybe I'll give him my trophies as a gift._

 _I hope he likes them._

* * *

 **Argentina, Ikari base -Valdivian Forest.**

The deafening noise of helicopter blades boomed over the lush treetops of the Argentinian rainforest. Bits of grass and debris flew about the launchpad, where four large dual-rotored chinooks prepared for takeoff.

A blond man in sunglasses directed the soldiers loading the aircraft. He yelled at his Handheld Transmitter over the noise of the engines.

"Eight Hazmat suits per Bird!... Check Air filters and…. Yeah Eight! Eight Hazmats! Don't fuck this up boys, there's A hundred million riding on this!"

…

"Huh, Ralf? Whaddya mean you…."

…

"Christ man, you're almost 35 and you're still sleeping through briefings? You think this is grade school or something?..."

...

"Hah, Yeah fuck you too. Anyways, we're collecting bodies in the area of disease outbreak. CIA looking to find early patients, wanna reverse engineer the disease or something. Whatever they do."

…

"Yeah, that's it… Dunno, US doesn't wanna throw their own people in there. And they're paying good money. I'll be a fuckin' gravedigger if you pay me that much anyday."

…

"The hell Leona coming for?"

…

"Boss gave the Okay?"

…

"Alright, whatever, have her bring her own Hazmat, standard size doesn't fit her. We're in the air at 1600 on the dot."

* * *

Go watch Sicario 1, The original with Emily Blunt. Sicario 2 is pretty good, but the original blows it out of the water. Probably my favorite movie ever.

Also, I guess you can try to figure out who's who in Yagami's head RN. I'll make it clear by in future chapters i guess. Either way, he needs to get the snot beaten out of him.


	11. Backseat Fighter

ay. heres a proper chapter. 3k words.

rex: bruh. I said the spoiler is in the first paragraph. I lied. it's like halfway down. (i mean, it was in the first paragraph when I PMed u. but then i started writing and stuff happens lol) I need to stop making statements.

Ikari ppls won't show up till later. so don't expect them yet.

* * *

Miss X is the best SNK character of all time. If you disagree, your opinion is objectively false. Fite me in the comments i dare u. I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 conf

Please leave reviews. I don't even want constructive reviews. I want shit reviews. Tell me the weirdest thing you've eaten with ice cream i dunno.

* * *

"Get the fuck down here. Come back!"

Kyo shouted at the retreating helicopter. He had smashed the driver's window and climbed out onto the roof. He stood there, blazing. Flames swirled in a protective fortress about him, they reached high into the air - as if they wanted to scorch the sun itself. The car looked to be alight as well, but Kyo was well versed in controlling his flames. The red mustang glowed like some ghostly spectre, but felt no heat.

A nearby building had combusted and began to smoke, it crackled and emitted a great cloud of smog. The soles of his shoes sizzled atop the mustang's polished roof.*

"You Cowards! COME BACK HERE! COME BAAACK!"

As he howled, the fever in his head burned. His brain brimmed with an uncharacteristic rage. His bones too - smoldering like hot irons. The flames about him blazed and roared. The noise mixed in with the screams and chanting of the horde. They were the sounds of hell, and they were driving him mad.

Kyo's vision was beginning to tunnel. The edges of his perception were becoming hazy. The earth swam before his eyes. He was shaking uncontrollably. He felt dizzy.

But that wouldn't stop him. Nothing would stop him. He would find the military later. First, the Infected. Then Yagami.

The buildings bordering the street were burning, the fire had spread quickly. The humidity did nothing to mitigate the blaze. A stiff breeze fanned the flames and spread the smoke over the sky. That great grey veil blotted out the sun and cast a haze over the entire city block. The smoke stung Kyo's eyes and nostrils. The smell of scorched rubber mixed with that of burnt flesh.

He turned his attention from the sky and glanced over his shoulder to his rival. He could make out crackling purple flames and the occasional flash of red hair under a pile of thrashing limbs. The bastard seemed to be adequately preoccupied for now. _I'll get to him soon enough._

Kyo looked down to the city streets. Several people lay dead under his tires, some were still alive and flopped weakly there. The bumper and wheel rims were dyed an ugly shade of dark red. A sharp metallic smell permeated the air.

Kyo sneered, and - with a glance- lit them up.

Flesh bubbled. The flopping stopped. Kyo was panting, hissing through his teeth. He felt as if his eyeballs were steaming. _Is that possible?_

Those who were nearby when Kyo crawled out of the vehicle had grabbed onto his clothes in an attempt to drag him into the street. Through the craze, he recalled breaking a black man's collarbone, and planting a fist into a child's face. An explosion of flame took care of the remaining assailants.

A mass of them now came at him from several metres out, more joined them from the surrounding areas.

 _Let's go. Come on assholes!_

They came walking, crawling, dragging themselves out from alleyways. At first they approached his flaming fortress hesitantly, the same survival instinct that caused them to scatter at the sound of the car's engine was now at work in them. However, once they fell within a certain range, they were completely overcome by that horrible impulse.

They lunged forward, howling, screeching and chanting, " _Eat! Eat! Eat him!"_

And as they drew yet closer, " _Kill Kill KILL!_ "

 _No. You'll be the ones to die!_

Kyo bared his teeth and readied himself for the onslaught - no, the slaughter. A small voice of caution whispered in the back of his mind, but Kyo wasn't listening. His brain was all but fried. The heat, the noise, the smell. It was bewildering. He strengthened his flames, they burst outwards and crackled through the air like fireworks. He raised his arms.

A familiar sensation swelled in his chest - the anticipation of danger, the gut wrenching excitement that preceded a fight, the beginnings of battle hi. Electricity coursed through his veins. Adrenaline pumped through him. He felt light as a feather, he bounced on the balls of his feet and rolled his shoulders.

 _Fucking zombies… you've been pushing me around for a while now huh? Chasing me all around the city… But i've got a full night's sleep under my belt today. Are you ready!?_

The fortress roared and spun. It's perimetre engulfed the entire car. The air combusted like firecrackers. The asphalt was beginning to look liquidy.

 _Let's go. Come face the fighting king! COME ON!_

He balled his hands into fists and popped his knuckles. As he did so, he felt a sting.

 _..._

 _What was that?_

Everything stopped.

Nothing moved.

 _What was that!? WHAT WAS THAT?!_

Everything went silent.

The screams of the infected were silent. Yagami's laughter was silent. The roaring flames were silent.

The sounds fell on deaf ears. Kyo paid no attention to them - he couldn't afford to.

Because beneath the gloomy sky, warm liquid dribbled from his palm.

 _no._

His adrenaline fell flat. The electricity in his veins died. His strength fled

 _No._

Time slowed. Kyo watched the drop fall and splatter against the metallic window trim. It evaporated and left a red mark.

A red mark…. blood.

 _No. Fuck!_

Kyo clenched his jaw. His thoughts flew wildly. Dread soaked into his brain. Despair tugged at him. _How could this happen? And When? And Where? Just now? It must have been when I left the car… but…._

How could this be. He was Kyo Kusanagi dammit!

 _They grabbed my jacket, but I was pretty fast… I- I didn't feel anything either..._

He was the King of Fighters! He was the Fucking Scion of Flame! He was the Kusanagi heir. He could crush all the people in this city easily. He could kill a man with a single punch-

 _Ah shit._

A single punch.

He had punched one of them in the mouth.

 _FUCK!_

That kid. He must have cut himself on that kid's teeth…

That fucking kid!… shit. _Shit!_

Maybe he could burn the infection out? Cauterize it? Carve a chunk out of his hand, Amputate... Shit… Amputate? He'd never fight again, but he _might_ survive. That… could work? Maybe? ... Fuck. Why did he _have_ to go shout at the helicopter? Why was he so stupid!

 _Stupid! Stupid! Kyo you fucking moron!_

He stood motionless atop the Mustang. He was breathing raggedly. Fire swirled out about him, consuming any who dared venture too close. Flaming bodies staggered around, screaming - yet he paid them no mind. He stared in frozen despair at his fist.

 _You need to look… Do it._

His eyes were swimming again.

 _Look._

He rotated his hand slowly.

And emitted a relieved croak.

 _Ugh. Shit. Thank God._

A shard of glass, presumably from the smashed window, was sticking out from the flesh between his fingers. There seemed to be no blood on it save his own. Kyo plucked the fragment of glass out, and hissed through his teeth as the wound burned shut. He tore off the bottom fringe of his T-shirt off and wove it between his fingers.

 _Why do you scare yourself like this. You freaking punched through a window. It's obvious you cut yourself on the glass. Holy shit man. Think straight for once! please!_

Kyo took a deep breath. The injury has scared the anger right out of him, perhaps for the better. The heat behind his eyes was gone. The flames stopped exploding and began swirling smoothly in a tight cone around him. His mind was back in order. His ears began working again.

Kyo had always been a tactical fighter. He excelled in innovation on the battlefield. Clever strategies compounded with mastery of flames and an excellent constitution equipped him to consistently bring down monsters whose strength and speed far exceeded his own.

Anger didn't do him any favors. Blind rage made him do stupid things... stupid things like leaving his car to fight zombies. He wasn't like Yagami. His 'auto-pilot' wasn't good enough for him to enter a mindless frenzy and come out unscathed.

 _Ah_... _He's not really unscathed though, huh… Is he losing his touch?_

Kyo looked over. Three people were clinging to Iori. One had him in a headlock and was trying to bite into him, another was trying to gnaw through his cargo shorts. The third was being held aloft by the throat, Kyo watched as its head combusted and the body reduced rapidly to dust.

 _Use your fire man! What's wrong with you! Are you goofing around or something? Your fire is stronger than mine, just burn them off!_

Yagami was in bad shape. He was covered in cuts, bites and bruises. Blood flowed freely down his back. Kyo wasn't sure whose blood it was. He had lost his shirt in the fray. One of his eyes was dyed red, the other stared forward, glassy and unfocused. He reached up to tear into the Infected wrapped about his neck. Another infected charged into him, trying to knock him down.

 _Why aren't you… just knee him!... Ack!…_

Kyo winced as Iori was nearly bowled over. A hand shot out to grab the attacker's arm.

 _What a mess… come on man. That's not how to-_

The attacker screamed. Iori screamed.

 _Oh… Holy shit that's freaky…_

 _..._

 _yeah, that's not Yagami… that's not how he fights at all…. Whoa._

His attacks were too wild and his style was too open. He failed to guard; he failed to dodge, he failed to defend himself at all. His balance was off and his strikes were inefficient. His normally surgical cuts were jagged and messy. His movements were akin to that of a beast, and not a martial artist.

 _That's the Blood Riot…_

Kyo watched the attacker fall to the ground with a sickening splat.

Iori Yagami was a sight to behold during tournaments. Every strike, every movement was perfect. Rigidly perfect. He had fighting down to a formula, it was mathematical, surgical and horribly efficient.

The only way to beat him was to exploit that perfection. A feat that required not only impressive strength, but also hundreds of hours of practice. In those hundreds of hours, (involuntary hours, mind you, Iori had a nasty habit of tracking Kyo down at the most ungodly of times) Kyo had memorized and choreographed each of Yagami's attacks. His footwork, his balance… all of it. _Heh, like picking apart the AI in a video game._

But this Iori bore little resemblance to that deadly, efficient fighter.

That stance, the messy footwork. No, there was no way he should be able to generate that kind of strength. A person should not be able to throw a fully-grown man 20 feet into the air while teetering backwards on one foot. It made no sense. It broke all the laws of physics. And it was terrifying.

But that was the Blood Riot's trademark.

He had seen it in Leona too. Impossible strength from impossible positions. Lightning speed on shattered ankles. Wild roaring, horrible laughing, glassy eyes, bared teeth. The loss of all human understanding. The Blood Riot was a creature that existed for bloodshed. Violence was its only calling.

And Iori… he was answering that call admirably. The bodies lay knee-deep where he stood, thirty?... maybe even forty of them. He was currently being accosted by five or six infected. They had thrown themselves at him, clawing and biting. He cackled.

The 'mob tactic' might have worked with normal people. Being subject to the weight of three or four infected was enough to crush most civilians - both literally and figuratively… But they couldn't bring down the Blood Riot. He would make short work of them.

And once he did, Kyo had no doubt Iori would come for him next.

 _Let them do their worst. Hopefully they can soften him up a bit…. Then I'll…_

 _Shit. I'll need to kill him won't I?_

Kyo grimaced and, whilst keeping half an eye on the Blood Riot, noticed a particularly overweight infected person. He was dressed like a businessman and sported a drooping moustache. He had tripped over the body of his colleague, and was laboriously climbing to his feet. The man was making a beeline for Kyo. He was chanting as well: " _Eat, Eat!_ "

 _Americans… heh._

Kyo increased the potency of his flames as the American drew closer. He felt a twinge of panic and sadness. He was about to burn another civilian to death. He could see the terror in the American's eyes, but he didn't falter.

 _Look at you. Yesterday you were making such a big deal out of Yagami killing that woman… and now you're doing just the same. You still think you're better?_

The American salivated and chanted as he approached the fortress' boundary.

… _well, at least I don't get off on murdering people. Not being a psychopath must count for something. Right?_

Just as the American reached the wall of flames, he changed his trajectory. His bloodshot eyes that were previously fixed on Kyo suddenly focused on something else. Kyo followed the infected's gaze until he was watching Iori bury his teeth into the arm of a teenage girl.

The American began screaming. "KILL. KILL" as he lurched frantically toward certain death.

 _He's going after Yagami?... I'm definitely closer though… is he higher priority? Some kind of hive mind?_

The Blood Riot was now working his way toward the mustang. Behind him, purple flames had cleaned the streets. No bodies remained, no blood - only white dust. He howled and dove into the American. There were only a couple more infected in the area, soon Kyo would need to fight. He stared intensely at the wild figure.

 _He… He punches wide to the left. That gives me the liver shot - wait. No. he didn't swing wide this time… the kicks maybe? He's using knee strikes a lot, they're wide too, I can get…. No… what the hell is with these patterns… Is he trying to confuse me?_

Kyo pulled his flames into a tighter, more potent spiral. From behind his shield, he carefully studied the Riot's movements. At this point, anything would help - anything that would give him an edge on the Riot was more precious than gold.

 _That footwork is chaos holy shit. Is he having a seizure or something?_

It was precious because Iori's hands were covered in infected blood. The Yasakani style consisted of clawing opponents apart. Kyo was going into battle with a man who had 10 knives covered in deadly poison for fingers.

 _Dammit. I feel like I'm cramming for an exam... Fuck, give me something to work with!_

A single strike - anywhere, spelled death. This was a battle of incredibly high stakes - for Kyo that is. To the Riot, he would be just another - ah.

There.

He was done.

The last infected fell to the ground with an unpleasant _thud_ and flames began consuming the corpse. Iori stood hunched over about ten feet away. His neck craned uncomfortably to look up at Kyo, who stood atop the car behind his blazing shield.

 _Looks like it's about time to start._

Riot's wide eyes stared straight through his quarry. His teeth clicked shut with each breath he took. He was wearing that distinctive 'gummy' smile that Kyo always poked fun at him for. He looked pretty torn up, he was bleeding, but not profusely. Unfortunately he didn't seem to have sustained any structural damage.

 _Shit guys, could you have at least broken one of his arms or something? I mean there were like fifty of you! You infected are fucking useless._

Riot seemed to have read Kyo's thoughts and released a wild crowing laugh. He raised a clenched fist to his face and began gnawing at something. A moment later, he turned to spit a mangled human ear from his mouth. A sparkling earring lay in his palm.

 _Holy shit... Fuck._

Kyo shook his head and steeled his resolve.

 _Don't get distracted. Focus._

Riot pocketed the earring and lit up. Purple flames crackled from him. He threw his head back and roared.

"GWoOOOOAAAA!"

Kyo tightened his focus..

 _Sorry Yagami. Time to die._

* * *

 _NOTES:_

*( _Edit 7/24 Rex_ )

 _\- please ignore the fact that some zombie slobbered all over the window Kyo cut himself on a few chapters back. I considered putting it in, but it really doesn't add anything and was awkward to write. Zombie spit = ok. Blood =/= okay._

 _\- Did you google for SNK's 'Miss X'? Do it. She's literally the best waifu. *3*_

 _\- is riot bae yet? hehe_

* * *

 _L_ ol at Kyo lamenting studying for exams. obv he didn't study that hard cuz he never graduated highschool. Maybe if he was a better student it would help him fight riot.

* also there's a joke about americans being fat somehwhere up there. Its okay because im american. (MURICA FK YEA) *freedom intensifies*

I just realized that Kyo didn't move at all during this entire chapter lol. He literally just stands on top of a car and thinks of stuff. wow im boring.

 _Hopefully we can get him to move a bit in the next chapter. right Riot?_

I think this, or maybe the next chapter is the last one to be gory. Im kinda tired of describing how Iori cuts ppl. It's not all that interesting anyways.

K. cyalls later.


	12. Batshit

_I need to pick up the pace on this thing._

 _Sorry about the shitty writing. I might come back for grammar and pacing later on. Tell me if anything seems weird and I'll hop on it._

 _I'm feeling kind of bad for being in the top 4 spots (earliest updated spots) on the KOF section of FF. Other people should upload more often so I don't feel so self concious._

* * *

 _Feed me reviews pls._

 _In case you've read my other stories, All the characters are consistent with eachother. I'm putting Heidern in the next one. He'll show up here too, but not until Ikari flies up to Florida, like maybe 2 chapters? (lol Literally all of my chapter predictions are wrong.)_

* * *

Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

The air hissed as a burning hand shot just inches past Kyo's ear. It struck a large mailbox, sending it flying into the building behind it. No. It _punched right through_ the building, snapping through concrete beams like they were toothpicks. This idiot's strength was absurd. Almost cartoonish.

 _This is why I hate fighting the Blood Riot! Fuck! ...3… 10. There, the left! Watch the knee._

Kyo ducked. A punch flew out, singeing the hairs on the back of his neck. Kyo rolled out from beneath his opponent before he ate the knee strike.

This was worse than what Kyo had anticipated. The Riot was strong and fast. Stronger and faster than how Kyo remembered him. He had taken Riot Iori down once before with Daimon and Benimaru. Despite all of them being in peak condition, it had been an exceedingly strenuous ordeal. It took nearly half an hour, but they finally subdued him after breaking one of his arms, popping the other out of socket and choking him until he passed out.

 _Yeah, I'm not gonna be able to pull off a dogpile right now. That battle had left all of us scratched to shit._

Iori screeched as orange flames exploded all over him. Kyo had planted them there as he was dodging strikes. It was just a formality though - fire did next to nothing here. When they first began jousting, Riot had burst through his wall of flames with nary a second thought.

Iori stopped howling as Kyo's flames were eaten by purples ones. He shook himself, then snapped his vacant gaze to his opponent and smiled. Not a nice smile either - Iori didn't _own_ a kind smile. If he was smiling, it meant he had: either gotten completely drunk, just maimed somebody or has gone completely batshit again.

 _Maybe he's all three right now. Who knows?_

Batshit Iori cackled and flicked metal shavings out from beneath his fingernails. Behind him, the steel telephone pole he had ripped through fell over with a crash.

Kyo watched it fall and winced as it impacted into the pavement with a heavy metallic thud. If Iori got ahold of him, he could very possibly lose a limb. A good body shot would scramble his organs. Those claws were deadly, but not only because they could dismember him in an instant. They were deadly because each finger was dripping with diseased blood.

 _This fucking zombie disease. Fuck. How the hell am I supposed to fight him!_

This meant Kyo would need to avoid Iori's hands entirely, he couldn't parry or block those strikes for danger of infection. However, it seemed he wouldn't be able parry and block anything else either. Riot's strength was so ridiculous, Kyo feared he might break a bone if he took anything head on. He felt like he was trying to box with a grizzly bear.

 _I'd take the bear anyday…_

The only thing left to do was dance around until he could land a knockout. If he was going to survive this, he needed to be patient and careful. If he panicked, he was as good as dead. This operation needed to be more meticulous than surgery and more strategic than chess. One wrong move and he was finished.

 _Next… 4, he'll come over here. Then 1 again… 2 strikes. Left, Right? Right, Left?_

Fortunately, Kyo was well accustomed to working under high pressure. Stress made him sharp and focused. He observed his crazed rival _almost_ calmly, trying to read his movements, determining his attack patterns… counting his steps.

The Riot fought very differently than sane Iori. His movements were amatuer-ish. He flailed about, sometimes even tripping over his feet. It looked like a strange form of drunken boxing and was a far cry from the sharp, familiar, Yasakani style. In theory, he should be easy to take out. Riot wasn't any sturdier than Iori was. And Iori wasn't too sturdy, it took just one good punch to the temple to put him down. Kyo had done it countless times.

It was that instinct that spelled trouble.

Iori had a sixth sense. There was really no other way to explain it, and it was really annoying. He would dodge strikes almost miraculously. He could pick out the holes in your defense with a mere glance. You struck too early? You get a punch to the gut. You struck too late? You get your arm laid open to the bone. And Lord help you if you hesitated. He'd slit your throat in a split second. He wasn't the strongest fighter to participate in the KOF, but he certainly was the most unpleasant to fight. Even Kyo never came out unscathed.

Had Riot inherited something of this 'sixth sense'? Kyo wouldn't be able to tell unless he put himself at risk. The strange chaotic fighting style, mixed with lightning speed and physics-defying strength was bad enough. Adding magical fighting instinct made this a different sort of game. And right now, Kyo needed to know what sort of game they were playing.

"Gwooooooh… TRAITOR!"

The Riot whirled around and fixed his eyes on Kyo. He looked like a nightmare. His pupils were completely dilated and stared straight forward. There was blood and bits of _stuff_ in his hands and teeth. He was covered in white powder - ash. Wounds stood out on his back like blood on snow. He stood there like a feral animal, behaved like one too. Nothing he did, nothing he said, made any sort of sense. His brain was all but empty. He was merely following the law of violence.

Only one thing seemed to followed any sort of pattern. Nine threes, then a four. 1, 2 from the arms - whether they be punches, scratches or elbow strikes. Then 3 - a kick, a knee strike, a dash, an extra kick for every tenth iteration.

There was no rhyme or reason to it, but it had been working for the past couple of minutes. The bastard was too fast. Kyo needed to predict rather than react if he wanted to dodge anything.

 _4…1, 1 than 2. Looks like it's gonna be the left first… elbow strike?_

In an instant, Riot had closed the distance between them. He howled as he crunched his arm through the building edifice. The structure groaned and bits of brick began falling. Blood dribbling down Riot's chin, his teeth were red - _don't let him bite_ … _that's 1… 2. He's scratching!_ _Move!_

"The Earth! Traitor! HAHAHA. Paint. The king. THE PAINT! EAAARTH."

"Shut up!"

Riot had been talking to himself ever since they began fighting. Kyo could hear his teeth clicking shut between each syllable. The bastard didn't speak, so much as spit the sounds out. He was talking, but didn't seem to listen to anything Kyo had to say. _Not so different from normal Yagami, actually..._

The _real_ Iori Yagami didn't seem to be doing anything to help either. Now that he thought about it, every single time he had fought the Blood Riot - whether in Leona or Iori - the host had always been resisting desperately from within. The results, Kyo now realized, were substantial.

If Yagami would come out and make the Riot seize up for _just_ a moment, it would give Kyo the opportunity to finish this. All he needed was a clear shot at the back of the head. If he could just burst the artery there… _Ahh fuck, come on man_.

"YAGAMI YOU USELESS FUCKER, GET OUT HERE!"

"Ahahahhaaa! The king. The King! The King!"

"SHUT UP YOU!"

Kyo stepped back to avoid a swift kick to his shins. He knew he couldn't dodge forever. His was going to guess wrong eventually and take a hit. Riot didn't seem to be tiring. He didn't seem to be getting frustrated either. He was quite content swing at air and didn't show any signs of giving up.

"BACK. THE KING. BACK! PAINT. FAST. PAINT."

 _Shit._

The smoke was stinging Kyo's eyes, yet he couldn't afford to look away for even a moment. He watched the movements of his opponent carefully. He was twisted to the left, so the next strike would be from the left hand. A swath of purple flames flew at Kyo's head.

"PAINT PAINT. NO TIME. KING"

 _There._

1 Iori had swung wide. His entire body twisted to follow the trajectory of his strike until he was facing away from Kyo - who had ducked neatly to avoid being decapitated. Next was 2, another arm strike, but Kyo wasn't in arms reach. He was standing behind the Riot, preparing to crush his skull.

"FAST FAST. PAINT. HERE. BACK. back ... ow. "

 _It's over._

Riot turned partially to look behind him. He wasn't smiling anymore. Kyo thought he saw panic in those wide eyes. No matter. In Southtown, it was kill or be killed, and Kyo was going to survive at all costs.

 _Bye Yagami. It's been fun._

Kyo aimed at the base of the neck and, with a shout, threw all he had into the punch. Flames swirled wildly around his arm. He briefly wondered if this strike would blow off Iori's head entirely. Just splatter his brains all over the place… well, it wouldn't be the worst thing Kyo had done today.

He felt the impact in his shoulde-… wait.

Shoulder?

 _What?_

Riot had broken his pattern. He had used his momentum to smoothly whirl about and strike Kyo in the shoulder with his knee. Kyo's punch was thrown off course, missing its target entirely. The flames flew into another building and set it alight.

 _Shit! Shit I'm dead. What the hell was that? Instinct? Blood Riot has it too? Fuck. Oh Fuck me. Did he suddenly learn how to kick? At least my shoulder isn't broken. He didn't hit me very hard… Shit, was it a feint?_

Kyo stumbled forward. The roles were reversed now. Riot was behind him, and no doubt ready to pull out his spine. Kyo felt dread sit heavily in his chest. He had done everything perfectly. Was it still not enough to kill that animal? For fuck's sake, he had taken down Orochi! Now he was going to be killed by one of that demon's lackeys. Fuck! Run? Fuck!

 _Run? You can't outrun him. Don't be dumb. What now? You're dead. I'm dead. That's it. Fuck. Die fighting! Go down fighting. Kill the bastard! Kill-_

"Kusanagi, you asshat! What the hell was that for?"

 _eh?_

"And is that my car? Did you steal my fucking car?"

"…"

* * *

 _lul._

 _Riot fights at a 3.1 ratio. (3*9)+4=31, divide by ten, you get an average amount of moves of 3.1(4159). I kinda needed some value to base this off of, and decided, since nature loves standing waves so much, I'll base it off pi. (Take any physics class... a LOT of the formulas have pi in them, and not only stuff to do with circles. Like even schrdinger equation has pi [hbar=h/2pi]) haha... yeah. I can teach you math. PM me your math homework. I'm not even kidding. (Don't give me your theoretical math tho. I hate set theory)_

 _I'm complete garbage at writing fight scenes. sorry. Next episode is no chill Yag. (the best yag). I'll do my best to get these two out of SouthTown asap. I'm getting bored of it._


	13. Roast Me Challenge

_Do you know why I wrote 'Polish'? It was for this chapter. Please read that first._

 _Or don't, and be confused._

* * *

 _Tbh I'd be angry too._

* * *

"What the hell Yagami! You're completely fucking useless. I can't believe Terry asked me to call you for help."

Kyo was fuming. He had stomped the accelerator pedal to the floor, and just kept it there. The mustang roared, smashing through whoever and whatever lay in its path.

"Why did you even offer to come 'save' me if you were going to go fucking batshit huh? I almost died like four times between yesterday and today because of you. You're _literally_ worse than these zombies. Fuck you. Seriously. Fuck."

Beside him, in the passenger seat, sat a very tired looking Iori Yagami. He had turned away from his shouting rival, and was resting his head against the window. One arm held the wound on his stomach. He held his chin in the other. As per usual, he didn't seem to be paying any attention to what Kyo was saying.

 _Probably talking to the voices in his fucking head…_

Kyo continued yelling anyways.

"This is ridiculous. This is a fucking disgrace. I'm sitting in this car with a psycho-murderer bastard who gets off on tearing people in half. I can't believe you. I should have killed you long ago."

Kyo had been yelling for all of twenty minutes. He told himself he was venting, but was becoming angrier and angrier the longer he went on. It wasn't unjustified either. So far, Iori had proven to be an awful partner.

"The world would be a better place without you. I'm not even kidding. How can someone be so fucking useless that they're better off dead? What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Kyo shook his head violently.

When this piece of shit finally stopped 'rioting'… _just_ in time to save his own life. He had the audacity to yell at _him_ and accuse _him_ of stealing? What a joke. He had just spent the last… who knows how long… murdering people. Calling out somebody for borrowing a car? What a hypocrite! Downright shameful.

"I swear. I'd rather have anyone. _Anyone._ Here instead of you. Like even Ash fucking Crimson. Yeah. That fruitcake is more tolerable than you are right now. Yagami! You're a fucking _liability._ You've made everything worse. How do you live with yourself! Do you want me to just get out of the car? Because honestly. I'd rather just wander the city on foot."

Kyo wasn't the type to shout. He typically didn't express his anger via screaming. But this time he had made an exception. He was going to shout until his throat was raw, or until he felt better about himself. Whichever came first.

"You're insane. You're crazy. Why did I even let you in the car? You might go nuts this very moment. Why are you here? You should just get the fuck out. Go 'paint' with your zombie friends until they finally kill you."

Kyo took his eyes off the road for a moment to glare at his rival. The red haired man was still leaned up against the hot glass. He had planted his elbow against the windowsill and was examining a wound on his wrist. He didn't so much as acknowledge Kyo, and it was making the angry man even angrier.

"Why did I even team up with you! It's my fault really. I should have learned my lesson from last year. You're a fucking teamkiller, Yagami. Everyone knows it. You killed Vice and Mature. Eiji and Billy barely survived. You beat the shit out of Shingo. You put me in the hospital for three fucking weeks! Fuck!"

Iori let the hand he was examining flop over to his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. Kyo was far too preoccupied to pay any attention to him.

"That was the first time I ever had to go under the knife. From all my years of fighting - seven fucking years - the only time I needed doctors to cut me open was when I trusted you to watch my back. Fuck you."

The car skidded around a corner and bashed its tail into a lamp post before continuing on. The impact caused something in the car to rattle. The sound grated on Kyo's ears.

"You just can't help it though. I understand! Comraderie? Sportsmanship? You can't _stand_ it right? You've just gotta sabotage it. You're just that kind of guy! You see something kind, or good, or noble and you need to tear it to bits! You're a disgrace. Just die already. Damn you. Damn you to Hell."

Kyo stopped talking to catch his breath. The air was too hot; he felt the heat in his lungs each time he inhaled. He squinted down the road at the scuttling hordes as he drove. His knuckles stood white against the faded leather steering wheel.

A terrible, tense silence permeated the space. Kyo seethed. He felt like his eyeballs were melting. His blood was burning. It coursed hot through his veins. The rattling on the bumper was driving him crazy. The engine's low growl echoed beneath them as they flew down the derelict streets.

Iori opened his eyes to stare into the palm of his hand. He didn't so much as turn his head when he spoke.

"It wasn't supposed to be like that."

Kyo started.

"... what?... Ah, yeah- _Of course_ it fucking wasn't! No shit! You're not supposed to _murder_ your teammates! I mean-"

"I'm sorry."

Iori let his hand drop down into his lap. He pressed his face back against the window and stared out. Kyo hadn't stopped shouting yet. It took him a moment to register the simple statement.

" -what about that time-... Hang on what did you-... uh…. "

 _what._

"Well, yeah… I - ... Fuck."

 _What the hell…_

Kyo knew his rival well. He was too dangerous to face without prior knowledge. So, over the years, Kyo forced himself to learn many things about Iori Yagami. Kyo knew how he fought. How he talked. What made him angry. What calmed him down. Things he would, and wouldn't do.

Apologizing was one of the things he wouldn't do.

Never.

In all the years Kyo has known him, he had never seen Iori make a sincere apology. This was the first.

And it was directed at him.

It left him speechless.

He stared at the back of Iori's head in disbelief before quickly snapping his gaze back to the road to avoid a crashed vehicle. He gritted his teeth and drove.

 _Shit. Damn you. Now what? What do you want me to say?_

Iori didn't seem to care whether Kyo had heard him or not. He just stared out the window listlessly.

 _Say something! Don't do this to me… fuck._

They sat silent for a long while. Kyo's anger rapidly turned to regret. They were old rivals, and as with all old rivals, they were also old allies. They had defeated the heavenly kings together. They had beaten Orochi… They had even won the KOF tournaments! Hell, they'd done a lot. When they fought side-by-side nothing could stand on their way. They crushed everything that came before them. Victory after victory after victory. It had been almost euphoric.

 _That was… pretty harsh. I'd still be wandering the roof of some skyscraper if he didn't come for me... Dammit._

Kyo sighed. The heat was gone. He just felt upset with himself.

The engine hummed. They rounded another corner.

Then Kyo spoke quietly.

"I lied about the surgery."

Iori turned tiredly to look at him.

"The first time I had surgery was with NESTS. Do you remember them?"

"Yeah."

"Good times."

" _..._ Good times."

* * *

 _leav comment. 1 liek 1 pray._

 _The bromance begins. Time for stuff to get fun._

 _It's 4am. haha._

 _He has a conscience, my baby has a concience. I'm so proud of him. *3* . Let's go back to the good times._


	14. Facebook Stalker

K- remember nests?

I- Ye

K- Good times. :)

I - Not rly. I fooken died. Stop bein gay.

K- btch i will fite u.

* * *

 _Well. In chapter 5 Kyo mentioned Leona went to every single one of Iori's touring concernts. That's super-non-canon. I didn't intend to even have Leona at all in this, but Tigerking suggested it early on and I integratd it in._

 _Don't be afraid to suggest stuff btw. I love ideas._

 _*Edit (8/7) Corporel - Colonel._

 _Leave a review or comment or i will fite u._

* * *

 **11:15 Joint Air Force Base. Charleston SC.**

"Colonel Still. I need a word. Please."

Clark Still couldn't hear her over the deafening noise of aircraft. He was overseeing preparation for their extraction mission. The US Military had commissioned them to retrieve biological samples from the quarantined SouthTown area, and he was examining their equipment. _Hazmat, check… gas masks, 4,6, yup. All 8. US said we wouldn't need to worry about an attack… should we leave the M4's. Maybe just bring the tear gas, just in case…_

"Corporel?"

A harrier fired up, it screamed down the runway and lifted into the air like a fierce bird of prey. For a moment, all the personnel on the base went deaf. Leona's voice was never reached Clark's ears.

The blonde man stood upright over the cargo and adjusted his sunglasses before casting his gaze over the rest of the runway. The space hummed with activity. Military personnel were preparing for a large operation - very possibly a covert one. Clark could tell by the way the soldiers behaved. Old soldiers were indecipherable, but young ones were like open books.

The young recruits, who were usually upbeat and friendly, were tight-lipped and solemn with him. They courteously refused to answer any of his probings into their operations and walked about as if they had just committed a crime.

Clark knew the US Military well. He had served in the Navy for five years before he joined Ikari. He had run a good number of covert ops himself, and knew the feel of them. _But what the hell are they doing Black Ops on US soil for? And what the hell are they doing in SouthTown? They even put up a comms jam…. hm._

When Clark first received the mission details from the commander, he immediately expressed to him ' _Boss this op stinks something awful'_. But Heidern had been adamant. The Yata lady told him there was some issue with the Orochi guy again, and he suspected foul play. He asked Clark to bring a team up there to do a quick survey on things and make sure there was nothing supernatural going on.

"Sir!?"

Clark wasn't too comfortable investigating the US Military. He had spent the best years of his life with them and they held a special place in his heart. But the operation was weird, and it had been a long time since Heidern was last wrong about military affairs. So Clark had taken the mission with the sincere hope there was no mischief to uncover.

"Clark!"

"Hm? Oh, sorry Leona. What's up."

The young soldier stood a few feet behind him. She was dressed the same as the men - heavy cameo pants and a tight black shirt. She quickly saluted him before continuing to shout over the noise of aircraft.

"I need a favour."

Clark grinned at her and motioned for her to elaborate her request.

Leona was like a little sister to him. When he joined Ikari at 26, she had been just nine years old. Initially, she had been cold and reclusive, but Clark had a soft spot for kids and always took time out of his day to entertain her. He even snuck her treats whenever the commander wasn't looking. When she was eighteen Heidern assigned her to Clark's platoon to ease her into military life.

He did so because he knew Clark wouldn't push the girl too hard.

He was right.

Leona's most difficult task that year was breaking her habit of calling her platoon leader ' _Uncle Clark_ '.

"Sir, I want to fly into the Quarantine zone."

"Sorry missy, You don't have your helicopter license yet. The Chinooks are pretty difficult to fly. I can train you once we get back, but for this op, let the pilots do it. Okay?"

Leona shook her head. That wasn't what she meant.

"Sir. I need to get in there. I need to perform an extraction. I need a helicopter."

"Soldier, did you brief? We fly at 1300."

"Colonel, Sir. I can't wait. I need to go now."

"What? Why?- wait... pop inside. I can't hear you very well out here."

Leona nodded curtly and climbed into the helicopter hangar after her officer. She pulled the door shut with a clack. The noises of the runway were immediately muted. Clark sat down on one of the seats and plucked off his sunglasses. He fixed the young soldier with a serious look.

"What's this about Leona?"

"Sir, I decided to talk to some of the young soldiers on the base. I was curious as to the situation inside the quarantine zone."

Clark frowned. Leona took after the commander. She was never one to make small talk - especially to the young recruits. They mostly tried to flirt with her, and she found it annoying. If she went out of her way to obtain information from them, it meant something was troubling her. He motioned for her to continue.

"They mentioned they were using chemical weapons. Sarin. At 1200 today."

"... Oh boy. Sarin huh. Are you sure?"

"Yes Sir."

Clark sighed. It wasn't the first time the US had done questionable things. Hell, he had done his fair share of questionable things under US command. He was a bit disappointed, but certainly not surprised.

"Well, we can inform the commander about it. Maybe he'll submit a report to the UN."

"Sir. Will a report stop today's strike?"

Clark furrowed his brow. Leona was usually quite straightforward with him. She was no humanitarian. Her intention certainly wasn't to stop the military from killing its civilians. She had an ulterior motive, and Clark, as the platoon leader, needed to know what it was.

"Soldier, I need you to tell me what's going on. What do you want to accomplish. What's your intention."

A shadow of nervousness passed over Leona's face. Clark frowned at her.

She remained silent for a moment, collecting her words.

"Sir, there is somebody inside quarantine right now. I need to get him out. Alive… I need to do it before the Chemicals drop."

"How do you know this person is in quarantine?"

"I traced a phone call. It goes to the quarantine zone. The jamming matches the encryption the Army gave us for communications."

"Fine. Who do you want to extract?"

"... uh." Leona looked down at her folded hands. Her blue bangs fell over her eyes.

"Leona. If this person is important enough to our mission, I may consider it. Otherwise, I can't. You understand don't you? We're here on a US Military contract to help analyze and contain a virus. Bringing living people out of the quarantine zone works directly against that goal."

She didn't look up. She seemed to be pondering how she might convince her captain that ' _that person'_ was important enough to risk the Ikari-US relations. Clark waited patiently for her.

Suddenly her face lit up.

"Sir. This person is one of the 'sacred treasures' who can seal Orochi. The commander said he wanted us to investigate if he is involved. The target is integral to our mission because if he dies, we will not be able to defeat Orochi."

 _'sacred treasures'?... ah, those three. The business lady and the two nutballs._

"The asshole one or the crazy one? Not the Yata lady right? She's already in contact with the commander."

"Sir. I want to extract Iori Yagami."

"The crazy one, nice."

Clark thought a moment.

"... Wait, isn't he the band guy? You had me flying you all over the place to go to his concerts…. You don't have a crush on him do you? I mean he is a good looking kid-"

"Stop it Clark! I'm not-" Leona flinched as she realized she was shouting at her commanding officer. Clark merely grinned at her.

"… Uh sorry. Sir…. That's purely a coincidence. It has has nothing to do with my decision to extract him..."

Leona was very clearly flustered. She stared down at the hands folded in her lap. Clark chuckled.

"Well, If he's associated with Orochi, then we have to get him, right?"

She looked up at him, almost smiling. The excitement in her eyes was evident. Clark guessed this was the reason she requested to join the SouthTown operation at all. He rolled his eyes. _Sweet youth._

"Yes sir! Thank you sir! I asked Major Jones to fly us in! He's waiting in Chinook Alpha-3! Let's go-"

"Hold your horses missy. SouthTown is pretty big. Do you have any idea where he'll be? What if we can't get a hold of him by phone? We only have a window of," He glanced at his watch. "Forty minutes. Otherwise we'll get caught in the chem strike."

"Sir. I know his address. It's thirty miles southwest of city central. 180 Knight Street, Apartment B."

"... You have his address memorized?"

"..."

"Ahhh. Don't worry Leona! It's normal for a young lady your age to-"

"Sir. I'm going to the Helicopter. Please excuse me."

* * *

 **SouthTown 11:15 AM.**

It was nearly noon when they pulled up in front of Iori's flat. Kyo woke his rival up, as requested, and watched him storm up the stairs into his own apartment.

Ten minutes later, Iori came trudging down the steps. He had showered, bandaged, and was wearing a fresh change of clothes. He had pinned his wet bangs behind his ear. It looked gay as hell. Kyo smacked the window mechanism until it started working again, then rolled down the window.

"You look gay as hell."

"Die, Bitchass."

"Yeah, whatever Mary Poppins. Can you drive?"

"Alright."

* * *

 _Next chapter is psychological counseling._

Lol Clark is everyone's uncle.

Sarin is a weap of mass destruction. Potent nerve toxin.

Harriers don't need a runway. They're like fighter jets that can land and take off like helicopters. It's super cool.

Leona= 20 yrs (spanish, english, japnaes)

Clark = 37 yrs (Spanish, English, arabic)

Ralf = 35 yrs (Spanish, English) Amazing pilot.

Heidern = old asf (Every single language)


	15. Surgeon Simulator

_I'm slow asf. I bumped detective Kusanagi into the future cuz Yag is being too nice. And everyone knows he's an evil asshole. I hope I never meet anyone like him IRL._

# _bby_

 _I hope you guys don't mind the shorter chapters. I wanted to make this longer, but the pacing was weird. I mean, if it really bothers you, I can work on it. But for now I'm just gonna cut chapters when I feel like._

* * *

 _Lol u guys really seem to like leona... Probably because you're all dudes. Like shoot. I thought this place was gonna be full of kyo/Lori fangirls, but it's just guys. So much for the rare 22% lol. Somebody name this chappie._

* * *

A low whine seemed to float across the cityscape. Everything lay still beneath that beating sun and the clear blue sky. No birds flew, save vultures. They screamed at each other as they fought over the remains of the city's inhabitants.

Below, the street writhed in the heat. The air above the black asphalt distorted and cast everything through a surreal lens. A pair of silver tire rims had been driven up against the curb, leaving long scratches in them. The mustang's driver door had been thrown wide open. A leg was sticking out, braced against the chassis.

Iori Yagami sucked in a breath, and held it.

Kyo flinched.

"Stop that."

"I can't. It's fucking gross."

"Then don't watch!"

Iori glared down as he strung the suture through his stomach wound. The thread tugged at his flesh as it passed through and pulled the sides of the gash together. Blood oozed out and leaked down into the tissues stuffed into his waistband. Kyo was sitting in the passenger's seat making faces.

"That string is disgusting. It's gonna get infected"

"Shut up."

Iori pinched the wound shut and went in for a second pass.

He would have stitched himself up in his apartment, but the lightswitch in his living room had been inexplicably smashed. In fact, his whole apartment had been vandalized. Almost everything that could have been broken, was broken. Iori _couldn't imagine_ who could have possibly done such a thing.

"Put some alcohol on it."

"No. Fuck off."

But he wasn't about to fight anybody about it. He was in an immense amount of pain right now, and just really wasn't up for another battle. Riot had done a number on him this time. He had been out for… who knows. Six, Seven hours? It always got worse the longer he let that guy frolic about. It wasn't the injuries, they were trivial. He could handle that sort of pain without batting an eye.

It was the _burning_.

Whenever Riot took over, everything burned up - it was similar to the sensation of using his flames, only a hundred times more potent. It was the first real pain Iori had ever felt in his life, and he sincerely believed it would be the worst. He knew his family's history. The heirs of the Yagami clan found immense power in the Orochi curse, but each and every one were ultimately killed by it. He remembered naively scoffing and thinking to himself, ' _How bad could it be? The old guys were just weak. I can handle it!_ '

He could. Just barely.

Every day was a fight. A mental battle, a physical battle, a battle of wills. There were some days where he felt so much pressure in his mind, he feared his head would pop like a balloon. If Riot was doing well, the pain left him bedridden. Sometimes both happened at once. He could hardly remember how he powered through.

But he always did.

They weren't always clean victories. Sometimes they left his mind in tatters and fried his nerves. He'd even lost control a few times and succumbed to the Riot - luckily someone was usually there to beat him shitless whenever it happened. Wresting control back from _that guy_ was difficult if somebody wasn't smashing his skull against the ground.

One way or another, he had always scraped out a victory.

Day-by-day, for twenty four years, the undefeated champion.

And he was getting tired.

He keenly understood why no Yagami had ever lived past thirty. What kind of person could fight an unwinnable war for that long? _Completely ridiculous._ He had a newfound respect for his late father, who, despite fighting this self-same battle each day, had put up with his son's horrible shitty antics - and _not_ beaten him to death.

 _Sorry Dad. Heh._

 _KING. THE KING._

 _Shut up, you._

The day he lost was the day somebody found his corpse… And he thought _for sure_ today was the day. He remembered standing on the ledge of a building, watching the sunrise and thinking ' _Twenty four years, not too shabby_ ' before getting swallowed up.

Iori continued to sew. He concentrated on keeping his hands moving fluidly. The pain had knocked him out about ten minutes ago and was only now beginning to fade. He really shouldn't have tried to stitch himself up so soon. His hands were feeling jerky and he feared he would tear the wound. _I wish Vice were here… hm?_

"If you pour that fucking beer on me, I will bite you."

"Alright. Alright."

By some miracle, he had woken up from the Riot. Something like that had never happened before. Usually he had to break _at least_ a few ribs before Riot was distracted enough for him to claw his way back. He was honestly surprised in the moment he came to. He found himself crouched over, blinking at the road. His instinct immediately began screaming at him to turn around. When he did, he was greeted with the sight of Kyo about to punch his head off.

That encounter had pumped enough adrenaline into his brain that even the burning, which inevitably followed the Blood Riot, was muted.

He had begun a screaming match with Kyo, but couldn't finish. The pain attacked him like a wave. It was so bad, he just wanted to curl up right there on the ground and cry. He didn't. Thankfully.

 _I'd never live that down._

The best he could manage was totter over to the car, and pretend to ignore his rival's shouting.

 _Hahahaha! Orange guy! Orange guy! ORANGE GUY._

"Shut up."

"Huh?"

"You too."

Kyo squinted at him from behind his sunglasses. He had reclined the chair back and thrown his feet up on the dashboard. The guy was dressed ridiculously warmly for the weather and was sweating like a pig. He had brushed back his bangs and they stuck up from his forehead in slick spikes. He looked like one of those pre-teen kids who had just discovered hair gel.

"Whatever happened to nice Yagami? I liked that guy."

Iori was nearly finished with the stiches. He gritted his teeth as he answered.

"He doesn't exist. I was tired and needed you to shut up. Forget about it."

Kyo shrugged, unphased by the harsh words.

"You were so tired you decided to apologize? That's sweet. I'm proud of you."

"Can you stop?"

Kyo was grinning at the back of his head. Iori ignored him the best he could as he tied the suture up and tossed the needle out the open window.

"Did you mean it?"

"... What are you talk-... I-... Can you drop it already?"

"...pft."

There was a twinkle in the bastards eye. Iori never wanted to punch somebody in the face so badly.

"Softies like you shouldn't talk like tough guys. You'll give people the wrong idea."

"I'm going to eat your liver."

"Whatever man."

* * *

 **11:35 Southern Florida. Quarantined Airspace.**

"Holy shit, guys."

Lieutenant Ralf Jones muttered into headset microphone. He flicked switches on and off on the dashboard almost by reflex. The helicopter sailed smoothly through the sky.

"It's fuckin' hell down there."

Static punctuated the voices of his colleagues, rather, colleague. Leona was silent as per usual.

* _Yeah, I read the reports too. But you know the same as all of us. Nothing prepares you for the shock of a warzone*_

Ralf stared down through the cockpit windshield. Figures wandered back and forth across the roads below them.

"... they're civvies too. You kinda expect to see this shit in Somalia, but when it's fifty miles from disneyland… man."

* _Yeah. I feel ya, Major_ *

* * *

Leave a comment or Yag will eat your liver

#kappa


	16. I'm not Crazy, you're Crazy

_K- Why can't you just be normal!?_

 _I- *Screams*_

 _Link Winchester is my spirit animal._

* * *

* _This entire chapter is Yagami being a bitch. #bae_

 _* I would like to thank all theppls who leave comments and reviews. You give this fic life._

 _* Also kudos to whoever read 16 chapters of this. Like holy crud. That's like 40k words! Go read an actual book or something._

* * *

"You haven't even finished high school, what makes you think you're a disease expert?"

Kyo huffed and glared at the back of Iori's head. He had been trying to pry answers out of his _maybe_ infected companion since they started driving, but Iori was being an uncooperative bitch. The redhead didn't look or act like any of the zombies outside, but he _had_ been bitten. And he definitely had infected blood in him.

"I'm trying to figure out why you're in here," Kyo gestured out the car window. "And not shuffling around out there. So stop being an ass and answer my questions."

Iori yawned and continued to ignore him. Kyo exhaled sharply through his nose, and cast a sidelong glance at the blood that stained through his companion's bandages.

"Look man. I need to know if you're going to try to eat me or not."

"I don't care what you know. Leave me alone."

"Godammit Yagami! I saw you chewing on some guy's ear earlier-"

"Wait, what?"

Iori was suddenly attentive.

"- and you took a chunk out of this girl's arm! You were freaking eating people. You were probably eating people all morning. I mean, shit. I bet you aren't hungry right now, right?"

Kyo watched gears turn in his rival's head as he decided if he was hungry or not. He wasn't.

"... wait … shit. Shit! FUCK!"

Iori, distracted by his cannibalistic revelation, suddenly swerved to avoid a fallen lamppost. The mustang shrieked along with its driver. Kyo yelped as he was thrown up against the door. His sunglasses flew off and bounced off the side window. He fell back into the seat, and whirled to yell at his maniac rival.

"What the hell, man! What are you-"

Iori was much angrier than he was. If going from "mildly bored to violently livid" was an olympic sport, Iori would boast the fastest time of 0 seconds flat.

"SHUT UP! Kusanagi. Just be quiet! Just… Fuck!"

Iori was panting, his teeth clicking together between breaths. His face was twisted in, not fear or panic, but rage. He glowered straight ahead, grasping and un-grasping the steering wheel. Kyo narrowed his eyes.

 _He's mad? That's the wrong reaction to discovering you're a fucking zombie… no. This little shit._

"You know something I don't. And if you don't tell me, I'm gonna beat it out of you! I need to know what's going on."

Iori remained silent. He gnashed his teeth. Then anger suddenly drained from his face. He stared blankly forward through the windshield. His lips pulled back and his fingers began carving gouges in the steering wheel. His breath was punctuated by the clicking of teeth.

"I'm serious. I'll fuck you up. Start talking."

His teeth began chattering. Kyo blanched and prepared to ignite. _Riot? Again? Are you serious?_

"Oh no you fucking don't. I _will_ kill you this time."

The chattering stopped. Iori, who had been bent stiffly over the steering wheel, visibly relaxed. He didn't seem to hear the death threat directed at him and he let his head roll over to look at Kyo. His voice was once again disinterested.

"Hm? What was that?"

 _What the hell?_

"... talk. Tell me what's happening."

 _Was that the Riot? What's going on? Is he gone?_

"Fine then. Try this." Iori hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and continued. "The fucking new guy. He's throwing off my balance."

Kyo squinted at him.

"... that literally means nothing."

Iori carried on, unphased.

"Four dudes right now. Me included. It used to just be the three of us. Riot, Orochi and myself. Then this new guy shows up out of the blue, and he's fucking me up."

"Uh. _what?_ "

Kyo was no psychologist, and honestly wasn't interested in the mess Iori called his psyche.

"I can hold down the fort pretty well against Riot and the Orochi bastard. I mean, you'd be fighting Riot a lot more if I couldn't. But once that new guy showed up…He tipped the scales. Has me going nuts. Riot's been running loose."

"... Is that a fucking excuse?"

"Riot's been easy on me recentl- … An excuse?! Bitch you asked! The hell you want me to say?"

"I asked if you were a zombie or not! Not about the voices in your fucking head! I'm not your therapist! Dammit man."

Kyo leaned over and covered his face with both hands. After a moment, he exhaled and sat up. He glanced over at Iori. The red-haired man was once again lost in thought.

"Alright. Alright fine. You're insane and that's great. I appreciate you telling me and all, but that has nothing to do with this zombie shit. Give me something useful."

Iori snapped back to reality.

"... well, the new guy really wants to eat people. That's why I was so mad at him. I hate losing."

 _Losing… he can 'lose' to the voices in his head… that's just great…. Alright, whatever. Just squeeze info out of him. Come on._

Despite his resolution, Kyo couldn't keep the anger out of his voice.

"How the hell do you know it's _him_ that wants to eat people? I mean, shit there's four guys in your head and all of them are insane. How do you know it's not the zombie infect-"

"What are you talking about? I'm not insane."

There was a moment of incredulous silence. Kyo didn't know whether to laugh or scream at the man who sat beside him. Iori seemed completely calm despite the dire circumstances. His primary concern at the moment was squeezing the car between a crashed bus and the sidewalk curb. _Definitely nuts._

"You're not insane!? You're _super_ insane. You should win an award for how insa-... " Iori was about to jump from zero to ' _really fucking mad_ ' again. He bared his teeth and turned around to interject. Kyo cut him off before he started shouting. "Okay okay, fine. You're not crazy. Just answer my question."

Iori just glared. He honestly thought he was normal? God. What a cliche.

"What if I don't want to answer your _fucking_ questions Kusanagi?!"

"Oh my God. Can you be less of a bitch! _Please?_ I'm trying to save our asses."

"You're trying to save _your_ ass."

"..."

 _He's not wrong… Agh. Fuck this. Why is this guy such an asshole._

Kyo frowned and attempted to piece together whatever information he had just garnered. Iori should definitely be infected, but he seemed more or less normal. The ' _new guy'_ had showed up recently and was causing its host to go on rampage. Kyo suspected it was… perhaps a side effect, or maybe Iori's strange way of coping with the Infection. If he suddenly really wanted to eat people because of the virus, he might have separated out his new appetite as a different personality.

 _Wait… but if the Newguy is inducing the Blood Riot, doesn't it have to be related to Orochi? The Riot is supposed to be triggered by Orochi… hm._

"I knows he wants to eat people cuz he just chants it. Like he just says ' _eat, eat_ ' over and over again."

Kyo turned slowly to look at his rival. The man was calm again. It was eerie how little he seemed to care about the predicament.

"The zombies say exactly the same thing. You _are_ infected."

"The zombies say _kill._ Not _eat._ What are you talking about?"

Kill… yeah. Kyo recalled the fat infected American who, as soon as he came within range of Iori, he began screaming _kill_ and charged at him.

"Do you think I'm infected?"

Judging from his tone of voice, Iori may as well have asked for the time. He was completely indifferent. _Suspiciously indifferent._ Kyo kept an eye on him as he spoke.

"Normal people are infected when they get zombie blood in them. Like, _any_ infected blood is enough to turn somebody into one of those _things_. You've pretty much been bathing your cuts in it." Iori nodded. "And you're eating people. That's enough evidence, right?"

Iori sighed."You too, huh? That's three for three."

 _What?_ _Three for three?!… Two other people have already accused him of being infected?... That seals the deal then. I should kill him now… but shit. He's so fucking normal! Well, as normal as he can get anyways…._

"I wonder why they're still going after me then. I mean, they're not attacking each other right?"

But he had a point. If Iori was infected, the zombies shouldn't be attacking him. But they were going after him in ernest.

Iori shook his head. Then seemed to throw the thoughts away. He leaned forward and craned his neck to look at the street name plaques that hung from the traffic lamps. "Does that say fifth?"

For some reason, Iori - an infected… well sort of infected - person was a higher priority to the horde than Kyo. _Shouldn't the virus be concerned about spreading itself? Like the movies? Why are they going after him so much?_

"Kusanagi. I can't see the sign. Move your head."

"What? Ah, yeah. It's Fifth avenue."

Iori nodded and took a left.

They sat silent as Kyo pondered. Iori had found the box of cigarettes wedged between the seat and the center console. He plucked one out, produced his magic lighter and began puffing happily on it.

"Yagami. Can you take this seriously for a sec? Like come on."

Iori barked in a dry laughter.

"What am I supposed to do? It's not like I can change it. I'm just going to deal with stuff as it comes up. There's no point in figuring it out." He tapped his temple. "It's how I've handled this for the past… 10 years?"

Kyo was unsatisfied with his answer.

"You're a fucking zombie. You're covered in bites! I'm telling you you're gonna die! Show some concern already!"

Iori just shrugged.

"So are you."

"What?"

"You're covered in mosquito bites."

Kyo frowned and reached up to rub the red mark on his neck. He was now keenly aware of the many itching pinpoints all over his body. "What does that have…. oh." … _Oh shit._

"Like, Malaria? They can transport blo-"

"I fucking know! Dammit!"

 _Shit! It was all useless! Everything I've done was useless!_

"The bugs really like you. You've got like ten on-"

Kyo howled at him until he was quiet, then pulled up his sleeve and examined his arms. Small red welts peppered his skin. He stared at them until everything else went out of focus.

He had gone to such great lengths, suffered so much, to avoid being infected. He braved the sweltering heat in a heavy jacket and jeans. He, the King of Fighters, had run like a rat from the zombie horde. He even relied on a half-crazy psycho murderer for help! He had nearly been murdered four times at his hands! All for nothing! For Nothing! _This shitty fucking… ugh. Fuck. FUCK! FUCK!_

"So. Do you wanna kill me?"

Kyo turned slowly to look at Iori. The redhead spoke in the same disinterested voice as before. His apparent calmness was making Kyo angry. He snarled at his rival.

"Bug bites. Do you have any?"

"No."

Kyo hissed. His vision had tunneled. .

"Why?"

"Cursed bloo- Kaugh." Iori began coughing violently. The view outside was suddenly obscured in a white smog. The smoke flowed in through the open driver's window. Iori threw his arm across his face, and squinted out from behind the crook of his elbow. Kyo, startled, twisted to look out closed passenger's window.

The white smoke was everywhere. It obscured the entire car and was so thick the blazing sun was reduced to a pale dot.

He stared at it almost incredulously until he was lurched against his seatbelt. Iori had stomped on the brake and threw the door open. He had wrapped his face in his arms and stumbled, coughing outside. The white gas began flowing in from the open door.

"Yagami! What's goin- urk!" The gas reached him and stung his throat and eyes. Kyo yanked off his jacket and pressed it against his face. He threw himself over to the driver's side, slammed the door shut and rolled the window up. The car wasn't airtight, but it was certainly better than being outside.

Kyo wrapped his head in the jacket and began crawling into the backseat. He felt his eyes tearing and his throat seize up. It was becoming difficult to breathe. A low thudding reverberated from above.

There was a click.

 _What?_

The door creaked open. Did he not shut it correctly? Gas was flooding in to the vehicle. Kyo was crying freely now. He felt like he had just rubbed lemon slices onto his eyeballs. He lurched around to tend to the door.

He saw a dark figure standing there. It was shrouded in smoke. _Who-?_

There was a sharp sting in his chest.

The floor rushed up to meet him.

* * *

SCIENCE SHIT START:

 _So going from anywhere to anywhere else in zero seconds is actually physically impossible according to classical physics. (we ignore quantum because tbh you don't wanna deal with that shit. Also neurotransmitters are too large to be considered quantum particles anyways so don't worry about it.) Conisder the basic equation for solving for acceleartion. which is Distance/(time*time). If time is zero, you may have learned the answer is 'undefined'. but consider the limit of K/x as x approches zero. The limit shoots to infinity. (K/x^2 limit is the same, but much faster) So how are we going to go about achieving infinite acceleration? How much force do we need?_

 _Well you probably guessed the force is infinite. and you'd be right. F=m*a, so long as mass is non-zero. you're looking at infinite force. yey._

 _So uh. nothing happens instantly. At all. Ever. Every ad that advertises instant anything is lying. Unless he's talking about the 'teleporation' of electrons and quantum particles because they happen to be waves and particles at the same time... yeah I don't really know either. (the math is hell for that stuff. also it's impossible to measure because of plank's and... uh. I don't know tbh. Don't talk to me about quantum.)_

SCIENCE SHIT END

* * *

YOU THOUGHT THERE WAS NO MORE SCIENCE! NAH FAM. THERES SCIENCE ALL UP IN THE HIZZY HERE *witch laugh*

Lol Im trying to drop hints like cray... I have this zombie virus figured out I promise. I'm not just messing around.

'High-School' is Kyyo's trigger word. _'mary Poppins' is Ioris trigger word. QUANTUM MECHANICS is my trigger word :(_

 _Leeve comment plz i Love u ._

Ikari next chap prob. No promise.*3*


	17. New Friend

_A slightly more comprehensible version of ch17..._

 _If It still doesn't make any sense, I need to do a rewrite. so tell me in the review If i need to._

 _I apologize for anyone who had the misfortune of reading the eartlier version because that was a complete mess. sorry._

 _Riot is Yag's dog._

* * *

"KING! KING!"

 _Oh my god! Be quiet! Shit!... what the hell is this stuff?_

I was looking through the King's eyes. I'm watching what's happening outside… I'm inside right now. Me, and the Earth, and the Newguy. We are sitting inside the King's head. We are watching him. What is he doing? I'll ask.

"DO?"

 _Fuuck! My eyes! Dammit! Quiet! Don't bother me!_

Ah! Look! Everything is white... Now everything is black. He's coughing. And running. And coughing. And running. Why is he running? The King is strong. He should kill it, not run from it. Let me tell him…

"Fight! King! Kill!"

 _Shut the Fuck up Riot!_

Ah… he told me to 'Shut Up' again. I guess he's angry. Is he angry at me?... I guess I'll listen. I don't want him to be mad. If I become friends with the King, he will send me out to paint again. I really like to paint.

 _Shit! What the hell is this stuff? Tastes like pepper spray... Fuck! The fucking military! I need to clear the area… God, my eyes hurt so bad!_

Oh. The Earth is mad at me. I can hear him grumbling… The Earth and the Newguy are sitting behind me. They tried to attack the King - but I stopped them. They want him to go crazy again. But I know the King doesn't like that, so I fought against them… does the King notice I'm helping? I want to be his friend.

 _Dammit… ouch. Fuck, my head hurts… Who the shit is that? Kusanagi?! How the hell is he over there?…. whoa!_

Oh. King is fighting? Good. Finally. It's a lot of fun to watch the King fight. I get excited when I see blood… wait. Who is he fighting? I can't see. The King closed his eyes… Ah, the New guy is talking again. Can you be quiet? I'm trying to watch the King! I don't care if you're hungry.

 _Shit… was that a bullet? Fuck… I can't breathe._

I'm not being truthful. I'm not really watching. The King closed his eyes so there's not much to see. I just wanted the Newguy to be quiet… All he says is, ' _eat, eat, eat_ ' and it makes me really hungry. Because of him, I ate a lot of my paintings. They didn't taste very good… but I was hungry! What should I have done?

 _Dammit… Move Yagami! Go! Do you wanna die?_

I heard the King yelling because I ate the paintings. He wasn't happy about that. But lucky! He got angry at Newguy instead of me! Phew. I don't like the Newguy either… Earth does though. Why does the Earth like him so much? The Earth likes him better than he likes me!

 _Shiit! Another shot? Fuck! Run! Ugh… dammit!_

It's not fair. Before the Newguy showed up, the Earth and I were best friends… We would team up and fight against the King! Usually we would lose, the King is very strong, but sometimes we win. When we won, the Earth would say to me, ' _First Kill Kusanagi, then kill everyone else!'_. And he sent me out. That was a lot of fun… but the Orange guy… he's strong too! I couldn't kill him. Earth got mad at me for that...

 _Where's the fucking gunman…?_

But now, the Earth doesn't want me to kill anything at all! The NewGuy showed up and whispered something to the Earth… and now I'm not allowed to kill anything. The Earth said to me ' _Don't touch them. I need them alive. I need their lifeforce to pull my seal apart. Don't touch them… Infect the Kusanagi! Subdue the Yasakani! Make him one of them! Make him one of us!'._ Boring. I don't want to. I wanna paint.

 _A building?... get inside… fuck… ah… fuck! Is he wearing a gas-mask? I need to hide…_

I was so sad! If the earth says I can't paint... Then what do I do? Just sit here? Ugh… But then the King came to me! He never came to me before. Not like he did… he was very, very angry. I don't know what he was angry at. He told me, " _Riot! Go out there and fucking murder everyone! Kill those fuckers! They killed Kusojiji! Rip them apart! Don't stop until everyone's dead!"_

Ah. I was so happy! Usually if I want to go outside I need to fight against the King. But this time, he sent me out! And he let me do whatever I wanted! It was so much fun… after a while, he wanted me back inside. I wanted to paint some more, but if I didn't listen to the King, he would never let me out again… I went back.

 _Ow. fuck… the fucking gas is in here too? Shit._

So now, I'm friends with the King! It's great! Actually… I don't know if the King knows about our friendship yet. Maybe because I cheated. The King was really tired, and I was really, really, really hungry because of all the stuff Newguy was saying. So I broke out. I ate a lot, then I got to fight Orange Guy!...Ah, I hope he's not mad about that. I went back inside after he yelled at me a little bit… that's fine right? We can still be friends right?

 _What the hell is that noise?... a helicopter? Fucking helicopters? Shit! My eyes! ugh._

Oh… the King's eyes are black... Why did he close them? Is he sleeping? What's happening?

"HAPPEN!?"

 _I'm fucking dying! That's what's happening! Be quiet!_

Dying?... really? Why would he die? I don't understand… who is fighting him? He should just kill them. The King should kill them!

"FIGHT! KILL! KING!"

 _Shut up! You can't kill a fucking cloud you idiot! I can't fucking breathe, and my eyeballs are melting! So shut the fuck up okay? God!_

Oh… if you can't fight… then run! Of course! Is the King stupid? Why doesn't he just run? I will tell him.

"RUN! GO!"

 _Did you hear what I said? I can't breathe! How the hell am I supposed to run? I'm coughing my fucking lungs out! Be quiet. I need to wait this out..._

I… I don't understand him very well. He said he… can't run? Why can't he run? I can run. I can always run. I'll help.

"I HELP! I RUN!"

… _What?! No! You'll kill me!... Fuck, It hurts…_

I will kill him?... Oh. The King doesn't know I'm his friend yet... I guess I tried to kill him before. Actually, me and the Earth tried to kill him single day. But not anymore. I'm the King's friend now! The King will realize I'm his friend if I help.

"FRIEND! I RUN! I FIGHT!"

 _I said Shut up! Shut up okay? You're not gonna-... oh shit! Oh Shit! That's- How the hell did he find me?!_

Ah! King opened his eyes again! It's still very white out, but there's a dark shape over there. I wonder what it is… Hm. The Newguy is yelling at me to eat it… is it Orange guy? No… Somebody else.

"FRIEND! FRIEND! I FIGHT!"

Oh! I want to fight! I want to paint! Please King, Send me out! You are hurting? I don't know what 'hurting' means. I don't have any 'hurting' so can do it! Send me out!

"KING HURT? I HELP!"

Send me! Me!

… _I can't believe I'm doing this… shit… Riot! See that guy? fucking murder him! Actually, fucking murder anybody you see… except for Kusanagi. Uh. Don't kill the… Orange guy… okay? Get back in here once you find Kusanagi._

Haha! Yes! Yes! He chose me! He will send me! Thanks King! This is going to be so much fun!

 _And don't fucking stab me with anything! If I wake up with claw marks I'm gonna be mad as all fuck! Hey! Did you hear me? Dammit I can't believe I'm talking to you… shit, do you even understand me?_

Let's go! Let's go!

 _Whatever… what the fuck, hah… Okay Riot! Have at it!_

"HAVE AT IT! GwoooaaaaAAAHH!"

* * *

 _So according to Jojo, Insanity is neither additive, nor multiplicative... rather, it's exponential!_

 _FAKE MATH START:_

 _Assume Yag is 4 crazy, and Riot is 10 crazy. if we do 10^4, then the combination of Yag and Riot is 10,000 crazy!_

 _but wait! did you know that Exponentials aren't associatve? meaning a^b =/= b^a_

So 4^10 = 1,049,876. Wow! 1 Million crazy! amazing!

 _FAKE MATH END:_

 _TLDR: exponentials aren't assocaitve functions. take care when doing calculations with them._

 _* Kusaojiji means 'old fart' and it's Yag's old mexican drifting neighbor that got murdered by zombies before ch1. also he's the first infected guy Kyo saw in ch1. rn the boys are driving kuosjiji's car around._


	18. Ralf Ex Machina

_Ikari's back._

 _Ralf is magical._

 _Iori is literally the cause of everyone's problems._

 _That's what happens when you're 1 million crazy rite?_

 _Rev pls_

* * *

 **USA, Florida Airspace, Quarantined District, SouthTown, 12:01 AM**

Ten minutes.

That was the time limit.

That was how long a person could live after inhaling Sarin.

That was how long Clark Still had to subdue Iori Yagami, and inject him with an antidote.

Clark adjusted the straps on his gas mask, pulled a hood over his head, and nodded to a similarly dressed soldier. They crouched inside the helicopter's hanger, preparing to jump out. They were each armed with pistols, a case of tranquilizing darts, and a syringe of Atropine. Clark addressed his collegue, the filters on the mask distorted his voice, " _You ready missy?_ "

Leona gave him a thumbs up, then, with a heave, pulled open the helicopter's door and leapt out. White mist flooded the hanger, but the cockpit -where Ralf was manning the helicopter controls - was sealed shut. Ralf kept the Chinook in a low hover and shouted over the radio _*I'll give you guys a five minute warning. Good Luck!*_

Clark hopped out into the sea of swirling mist. It seemed that the military had mixed tear-gas and sarin agents. Nasty, but extremely effective… and hopefully it would make Clark and Leona's jobs easier. Clark didn't know Yagami very well, but he did know he was extremely violent, and very uncooperative. There was no way he, upon seeing anonymous soldiers dressed in tactical gear and gas masks, would allow himself to be injected with a mystery substance and _not_ blow the Ikari helicopter to smithereens.

Additionally, if he _was_ infected... This would be the safest method for the Ikari troops.

The soles of Clark's boots hit the ground and sent a shock up through his knees. He shook the pain out of his legs, and quickly, but carefully approached the vehicle. Visibility was downright awful. Clark thought he saw Leona yank the car door open and fire a shot.

"Private? Did you get him?"

 _*Colonel, I got Kusanagi, Yagami ran over there!*_

"What? Who?"

 _*Kyo Kusanagi was inside the car. I just tranquilized him.*_

"Oh wow… well then, We're pretty lucky today aren't we?… two treasures for the price of one. The Commander should give me a raise."

Ralf's voice crackled over the radio. * _Nah, Colonel. I should be getting that raise! Hahaha! You guys are running on 2 minutes, hurry up and shoot Leona's boyfriend already!_ *

Clark rolled his eyes. Is _was_ true though. Of course, it was just luck, but Ralf was quick to correct him with a " _Soldier's Intuition Colonel! Have you got it?"_

Ten minutes ago the Ikari troops found themselves surveying the area around Iori Yagami's residence. At first, Clark thought Leona had the wrong address. He didn't follow music leaderboards, but he knew Yagami was somewhere up there. There was no way somebody with that much money lived in a shitty little place like this.

However, Leona insisted, so they let her jump out of the helicopter to break into her idol's house. She claimed that his car was still parked there, so he should be home. _VW Golf GTI… not too shabby._

After a few moments, Leona emerged _with_ a guitar, and _without_ a red-haired psychopath. Clark could make out the faintest traces of disappointment on her face, but he couldn't blame her, he was getting worried too. There were only a few minutes until the chems dropped and they had no idea where their target was.

Ralf, bombastic as ever, claimed he knew the way. He broke protocol, and set the chinook at full throttle due east.

Clark didn't stop yelling at him until he caught sight of a bright red mustang roaring down the road just as the entire area was blanketed in white. The Ikari troops sprang into action immediately.

 _*Colonel, I've secured Kusanagi. I will join you once I bring him to the helicopter.*_

Clark tightened the straps of his kevlar vest and flipped on his thermal goggles. His frame of vision went purple and orange. "It's fine Leona, your dear old _padre_ would skin me alive if he knew I'm letting you frolic around in this shit". Clark waved to the misty air. "Shoot him up with antidote and put a mask on him. I'll be just a moment."

Leona saluted as she ran past him. It was almost uncanny seeing her petite frame carrying Kusanagi's much larger body over her shoulders. Nevertheless, she moved as quickly and sharply as she usually did. Watching her scurry around made Clark wish he was young again.

 _Sweet youth… alright. Time to tranq a kid._

There were many heat sources on the streets. Some were laying on the ground, some were hunched over and coughing. Only one was standing. He had his arms wrapped about his head, and was supporting himself against the wall and he lurched his way along the building.

 _Too easy. Alright Baby, Come on. It's hot here and I wanna go home._

Clark inhaled and pressed his cheek against his shoulder as he aimed down sights. The rubber lining on the gas mask shifted uncomfortably against his forehead as a drop of sweat dribbled down into his eye. He blinked it away and leveled the dart to the staggering figure's chest.

 _Goodnight._

He squeezed the trigger.

Iori Yagami threw himself to the ground.

The dart bounced off the concrete wall.

 _Oh, fuckin' hell. Agh… I forgot why this kid is so annoying._

Iori scrambled to his feet, spun to dodge another shot, then ran headlong down the side of the building. Clark could hear him cursing as he stumbled over debris. _I didn't know he spoke spanish…_

Ralf's voice crackled in Clark's ear.

 _*Colonel, three minutes coming up. He's gonna get nerve damage.*_

"This fucking brat dodges bullets."

Leona chirped up.

 _*Colonel, I'm coming in for support*_

"Roger."

Clark quickly approached the building, determined not to lose sight of his quarry. He was quite safe out here in the open. He had a long range weapon, and eventually Yagami would no longer be able to dodge his dart shots. The nerve agent would soon disrupt his movements enough for Clark to tag him.

However, once Yagami reached the door to that building, things would became much more dangerous. Clark hated urban warfare for this very reason. It was too easy to get ambushed- and Iori Yagami would be a deadly ambush predator.

The kid was dangerous. His weird version of Kung-Fu offered him incredible cutting power; Clark had seen him carve up steel with his bare hands. If Yagami hopped out from behind a corner and laid hold of him... the Colonel could easily lose a limb.

 _This doesn't feel like a hostage extraction at all… More like a hunting … tracking a wounded animal._

Clark reached the sidewalk's curb just as Yagami staggered through the building's door. Clark gave chase, storming up onto the sidewalk, over a couple of infected bodies to reach the building's entrance. So long as he kept Yagami in sight, he would be safe from a surprise attack… but if he lost him.

 _Fuck._

Colonel Still stood outside the building and peered down the corridor. There were rooms lining the hallway on either side. Iori's heat signature had disappeared behind the walls.

 _Shit… I hate buildings._

He gritted his teeth and entered the narrow hallway. He glanced about at he walked, placing each foot down carefully in order that his footsteps made no noise. He held his pistol at the ready, prepared to shoot the moment he saw a heat signal.

 _Brat! Where the hell did you go?_

But there was nothing. His vision remained irritatingly dark. He continued slowly down the short corridor before he reached the first door. He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and twisted to peek in.

 _Not this room…_

"-ave at it… " A low growl, almost a whisper.

 _Behind!_

Colonel Still snapped his head around. There, in the corner! An orange spot! Iori had hidden himself behind several crates piled beside the building's entrance. Clark had checked his corners only briefly when he began infiltrating the building. He didn't think to look behind the crates. Now, he was going to pay for it.

Because Iori Yagami was ready to pounce.

 _Fuck! Fuck this!_

"HAVE AT IT! GwooooaaaAAAHHH!"

* * *

 _Check ur corners scrubs. I kinda had a hard time deciding how to catch Clark off guard since he's kindof a badass. Tbh, he probably would have checked his corners and Shot yag in the neck._

 _SCIENCE SHIT START:_

There are two reasons why Sarin is deadly.

* _It's friggin poison as shit. 26x times more deadly than cyanide. it can be breathed in and also penetrates the skin. Don't mess with this stuff._

* It's also a nerve agent which inhibits this enzyme which degrades a neurotransmitter. (acetylocholinesterase, if you're interested. The neurotransmitter is acetylocholine). Essentially what happens is that the neurotransmitter is released from a nerve cell and travels to another nerve cell to say 'hey, move that muscle'. Then, after it does it's job, the enzyme shows up and eats it - stopping the signal. So what sarin does is it messes with the enzyme production so there is no enzyme released.

Without the enzyme there to get eat the neurotransmitter, the neurotransmitter remains in the nerve synapse and continutually sends the signal to 'move that muscle'. So the muscles stay continually flexed, and never relax. It even does it to the diaphragm (the muscle which controls your breathing) and eventually you suffocate because your diaphragm stays continually flexed, and doesn't let you breathe. (wikipedia source)

So there are two chemicals used as the antidote. Firstly, theres Atropine/Biperiden (which Clark + Leona are sticking he guys with) which treats the poisioning itself. Next is prolidoxime which handles the muscle issue, but usually ppl die from the poison first, so acutually you can wait up to five hours before you administer prolidoxime.

*and yeah, Sarin is colourless and odourless, but i mixed it with tear gas otherwise the bois would just keep driving and drop dead somewhere down the line. and that's no fun.

SCIENCE SHIT END:

TLDR: _Enzymes are important._


	19. Combustion

_yee._

 _Iori yagami is my favorite soccer ball_

* * *

* _shiiiihhh_ *

A breath in.

 _*shuuuu*_

A breath out.

The world had closed up beneath the mask. All of her senses ended two inches from the bridge of her nose. The smell of rubber was becoming odious. The poisonous mist swirled outside, she observed it through two circular lenses. There was no peripheral vision, she had to turn her head to look from side to side.

 _Hot… Claustrophobic._

There was no noise - or, perhaps her breathing drowned it out. The world outside was muted, underwater, distant, as if she was watching through the eyes of another person. She willed herself to run, and she ran. She ran through the balmy mist, toward the car, toward the building. The sun was a sad, pale circle overhead.

She was cold and detached from everything.

Until a voice crackled in her earpiece, snapping her back into reality.

 _*Hey Colonel! Come on, you're pushing four minutes! Leona will never forgive you if her crush gets paralyzed*_

There was no response.

 _He's not my crush…_

Leona reached above her head and tugged on the thermal goggles attached to her hood. They clicked into place over the mask's eyepieces. Her vision was suddenly a spectrum of purple and orange spots. She caught sight of her commanding officer step into a building up ahead.

 _*shiiiiiiih*_

A breath in.

 _Kill… murder… rip… tear… kill…. r...ip…._

Leona grimaced, her eyes narrowed in concentration... the voice faded. Why was her Riot acting up?... It had been bothering her ever since they flew into the quarantine zone. Pushing at her, pulling, biting, stinging. She had her teeth gritted the entire helicopter ride, fighting... suppressing that deadly impulse. _Bad timing… very bad timing… Orochi is nearby? Perhaps… did he come back?... I wonder-_

No.

There was no room for her wondering. There was no room for her Riot. There was no room for self-pity. There was no room for reflection. There was no room for anything.

Leona Heidern's commanding officer required her assistance. She would assist him. That was all.

That was the mission.

That was all she needed.

 _*shuuuu*_

A breath out.

Leona approached the building's edifice, stepping over bodies as she did. They squirmed around on the ground like pitiable insects. Some gnashed their teeth at her, others reached for her ankles. She evaded them without breaking stride. Clark's signal had since disappeared inside the building, the lack of visibility was making her nervous. She hurried after him.

 _Support the Colonel… Extract Yagami… four minutes…_

She drew her pistol and flipped off the safety, then briefly dipped her head to make sure it was loaded. The dart looked like a cross between a missile and a syringe. Leona hoped it would be enough… because if it wasn't… She pushed the thought away.

 _Focus. Stay sharp. It's dangerous._

Yes. Iori was exceedingly dangerous. Even in a situation like this, he could prove deadly. Leona knew this firsthand. She'd fought him before during a tournament a few years back. At the time, she was seventeen, and had single handedly swept five teams before reaching the quarterfinals. They fought in groups of three. Clark, Ralf and herself formed the IKARI unit. She was locked in as the first fighter for IKARI, and defeated entire opposing teams with hardly a scratch to herself. It was so one-sided that Clark and Ralf had taken to playing cards while she fought - they had simply accepted they weren't going to get a chance to participate.

She expected the quarterfinals to be the same. She would stand in the arena and cut down three unfortunates while her colleagues played poker on the sidelines. She wasn't upset at their apparent indifference. Rather, she was proud that they had such confidence in her abilities, they didn't feel the need to watch and worry about her.

But when team 'Yagami' stepped out into the ring, Leona was surprised to see the two women of the group had brought a large shopping bag of makeup and takeout chinese food. They clearly had no intention of fighting.

The red-haired man did.

The painful encounter had earned Leona 34 stitches and a sudden interest in rock music.

 _Stop that._

Leona snapped her thoughts to the situation at hand. Now was no time for reminiscing.

Now was time for action.

Leona held the weapon low as she approached the doorway. There! the Colonel. She once again held him in her limited view. He was leaned against the left-hand wall as he peeked into one of the hallway rooms. Leona flipped on her communicator to let him know she had arrived. If she surprised him, she might wake up a couple of hours later, strapped to the helicopter seat next to Kusanagi.

Static crackled as her microphone went online, she opened her mouth to speak-

And a horrible roaring rang through the room.

Something, an orange shape on her thermal view, burst out from the crates beside her. She could make out a pair of long arms and hooked fingers as it rushed past. It reached for the Colonel. It looked like some movie monster.

It certainly sounded like one.

"HAVE AT IT! Gwaaahahaa!"

 _Iori Yagami!_

Leona's eyes flew from him to her commanding officer. She had, _three seconds_? to react. The Colonel was in no position to dodge or defend against the ambush. He was propped against the wall facing away from his assailant. He turned at the noise, however, his back would still be exposed by the time Iori reached him. The steel bulletproof vest he wore would offer negligible protection.

Iori would tear through it like wet paper.

Leona needed to do something before Iori carved out his spine.

 _Fire!_

Without a moment of hesitation, Leona planted her feet and aimed her pistol at the crazed fighter's back. She squeezed off the shot. It was a good one - the dart would hit him squarely in the shoulder.

 _Would have_ hit him squarely in the shoulder.

Because, impossibly, he stumbled.

And the dart whizzed past his cheek.

He showed no signs of surprise whatsoever. He didn't even flinch. It took only a moment for him to regain his footing and launch himself at the Colonel.

 _Gah! Instinct!_

Leona grimaced. That's right _._ During their match all those years ago, she couldn't land a hit on Iori no matter what she did. Somehow he knew the exact range of her strikes, the weaknesses in her defense, her range of motion... it was ridiculous. Compared to that, dodging bullets was trivial.

She remembered become so frustrated that she resorted to using real, deadly attacks. Moves that were prohibited in the ring. Ralf and Clark had shouted at her from the sidelines to stop, but at her young age, she was too flustered to listen.

It didn't matter.

The memory was still keen in her mind. A testament to combative genius, a pedestal to fighting instinct.

Leona had been angry. Her Riot was coming out, just a bit. It made her strikes faster, stronger, they jarred her joints. Her hands and feet burst with blades of razor energy. A single strike could split a man in two. Nobody survived this kind of onslaught.

Yet, calm as could be, Iori Yagami wove in and out of her range, deflecting some of her strikes with his own, shifting to let others miss him by millimetres. He watched her disinterestingly as she screamed at him. He seemed to be on autopilot. He made no move to attack. He just danced about, waiting...

It only took one devastating blow to put her down. Yagami had opted for three. She had swung wide... or _something,_ she didn't remember. He saw it and lunged in. A punch to the skull wrenched her one way. A knee to the gut threw her backwards.

As she flew, he followed. Four fingers caught her in the shoulder, snipped through the muscle, and tore four long gashes across her collarbone. Team IKARI withdrew from the competition and rushed her to the hospital.

 _He could have slit my throat instead... He was following tournament rules..._

Leona gritted her teeth and aimed again. She had never felt helpless behind a gun before. Then again, she had never felt helpless in any fight until she battled Iori Yagami...

But her mission was to assist Clark.

And she was going do everything in her power to do so.

Even if it meant beating the man who had once thrashed her so soundly, she couldn't bring herself to be bitter about it. The first thought that entered her mind as she lay crumpled in the ring was, _'Amazing'_.

...

But today, he wasn't amazing.

Today, Iori Yagami was just another target. Another mission objective. Another enemy combatant. Leona Heidern would treat him as such. She opened her mouth to yell into her microphone. Static crackled across the comm.

"CLARK! Run!"

The target was airborne. The tips of his fingers burned with heat and were locked into a gnarled claw. It came down on the Colonel like a scythe. He turned and dove headlong into the room in an attempt to evade it.

If Leona hadn't caused Iori to stumble, _that precious quarter second,_ the Colonel would most certainly have been bisected. Instead, he managed to escape the blow.

Mostly.

Yagami charged into the man as he dove sideways. The fighter's pinky finger hooked into the back of the Colonel's kevlar vest. There was the sound of tearing fabric, then a heavy thud as the steel reinforced armour was wrenched off. The thick fabric had been sliced through from shoulder to waist. Leona couldn't tell if the Colonel was injured or not from the thermal imaging, but his movements expressed pain.

 _... Did he get hit!_

"Gaaahahaha!"

 _Uh oh._

Iori's attention was now focused on her. His teeth were chattering. Tears streamed down his face, yet he expressed no pain whatsoever. His eyes were wide open. He was grinning an unpleasant smile. His motions were jerky and erratic. He staggered where he stood. The fingers on his left hand had begun to seize up and locked unnaturally.

 _The toxin? or the Riot?_

"HELLO ME! HELLO ME!"

 _Ah..._

Leona lined up another shot.

He charged before she could squeezed the trigger. Those wicked claws came at her from both sides. The tips of his fingers blazed with purple flames.

 _So fast… !_

Leona gritted her teeth, dropped low, and lunged into him, burying her shoulder deep in his stomach. She could feel the air rush from his lungs. Iori squawked and was thrown back. He flopped over and lay flat on the ground. Then he began laughing at the ceiling.

Behind her, eight flaming gashes appeared in the wall. Leona didn't look at them. It took only a moment for the Riot to get up and begin attacking. Leona knew, firsthand, how resilient the Riot was. It felt no pain. It felt no fatigue. It would kill and kill and kill until the host dropped dead.

For her own sake, and for his, she aimed her pistol at the fallen man and fired. The dart flew at his chest. He made no motion to dodge, Instead he craned his neck up to look up at her. The smile never left his face.

 _Okay. Target secured._

The dart exploded mid-air.

 _What?!_

Then the gun exploded as well.

 _No! No!_

Fire cloaked Leona's hands. The purple flames ate rapidly through the thick kevlar gloves. Leona shrieked as she tore them off. They landed on the floor and were reduced to smouldering ash. Iori was attempting to climb to his feet but his legs weren't working properly. His knees were locked straight. He flopped to his side and slapped at the ground in frustration.

It looked pretty funny.

So, Leona ran over and kicked him as hard as she could.

He yelped as he skidded across the room, only stopping when he smacked into Clark's doorframe with an unpleasant noise. He continued flailing over there.

 _You brought this on yourself... you shouldn't have broken my gun._

Tranquilizers were the most elegant method for taking custody of unwilling targets. A less elegant, but equally effective method involved blunt force trauma. It was the only weapon Leona had left, and she intended on using it ruthlessly. Nobody watching could even _imagine_ she held any sort of affection for the man.

She wrapped energy around her foot for another kick to the stomach. He gagged, taking the full brunt of the blow. His back was pinned against the doorframe as she wailed on him.

She hopped back to dodge a clumsy strike. The air around her was getting a dry... was it her imagination?

Iori was gasping through bared teeth. His lips were pulled back across his gums. He stared at her through half lidded eyes.

"Hee... hee… HAHAHA… !"

No! It wasn't her imagination! It was getting hot. The dark areas on her thermal visor were turning orange. Leona hesitated and stepped back.

 _...he's trying to... oh no._

There was suddenly an unbearable heat all around her. All the water evaporated from the air. She watched in terror as her thermal visor went completely white. Blinded, she whirled to sprint out of the building. Her heart pounded in her chest.

 _Run! Run or die!_

She couldn't fight this kind of power. So long as he was looking at her, she would burn. And the closer she was, the faster the temperature would increase. She had seen the purple flames in action before. Her father once showed her a recording of Kyo and Iori destroying a base in Iceland. Kyo's flames were powerful... but Iori's had reduced steel beams into puddles.

 _Go Go! Get out!_

Her luck went sour.

She ran headlong into the doorframe.

The concrete knocked against her thermal visor and stopped her in her tracks. She reeled, stunned from the impact. She could hear Iori cackling behind her. He was making a sorry attempt to get back up. It was a pathetic show. But it didn't matter.

Because Leona was about to burst into flames.

"UP! UP! Hehehehe!"

The heat became extreme. She felt blisters forming on her skin. She was becoming dizzy. Her eyes went dry, it hurt to blink. She heard her ears pop. The pain was getting worse. She would begin screaming soon.

A stray thought floated through her brain. As she pushed herself off the wall and groped for the doorway.

A strange thought, a trivial one.

Why was she here? Ah. She wanted to run the rescue operation. She wanted him to thank her. She wanted him to speak with her as an equal.

It would have been exhilarating.

Instead, she had kicked him in hard enough to scramble his organs. And now he was about to deep fry her.

 _And Clark too... I messed up. Ohh noo. I messed up._

Her blood was beginning to boil. She staggered through the doorway. She couldn't run even if she wanted to. Her entire body was screaming at her. Her Riot tried to take over again - she held it back. If her Riot took over now, it would launch her at Iori. It would launch her at the source of the flames. By the time she reached him, there would be nothing left of her.

 _Sorry Dad… I'm sorry. I was stupid. I was stupid..._

Leona slumped to her knees, clutched her head, and squeezed her eyes shut. The pain was becoming unbearable. Was she already on fire? She couldn't see anything in her thermal. She screamed.

...

 _... this is it-_

"YOU LITTLE FUCKIN' BRAT!"

A gunshot.

A gurgling cry.

Then the heat disappeared. Leona sucked air.

"I'm gonna need stitches for this! You asshole!"

 _Ha... I'm saved._

Leona gasped, her hands were still shaking as she let go of her head. A flood of relief washed over her as the thermal visor returned to its normal purple-orange spectrum. She turned to look around. Clark had picked Iori up, and was walking over to her. The dangerous fighter was unconscious, slung over the Colonel's shoulder. A dart was buried in his neck.

"Soldier! Get up. We need to get out of here."

She winced as she climbed to her feet.

"Yes Sir."

* * *

SCIENCE SHIT START:

 _So I was debating whether to talk about Combustion, or the mechanics of how sedatives and tranquilizers work. I think you guys kinda know combustion already right? just throw enough energy at something, make sure there's O2 around etc.. you got it. whatever. Let's do Sedatives. It's much cooler._

 _So, quick rundown. General Tranquilizers work by supressing the nervous system. Essentially, it just messes with the 'electrical wiring' of the human body. It's somewhat similar to what Sarin does (Check notes in last chapter), but it deals with a different neurotransmitter._

 _So your body uses TONS of neurotransmitters, all with different purposes, and all who bind to different receptors. For example, Dopamine will ONLY bind to a dopamine receptor. Think of it like a lock and Key._

 _Usually, once the 'key' does it's job of unlocking the lock, and transmitting the signal (the other nerve cell is like, Ok, that lock got activated. Now I know what's going on) It unbinds and drifts off into the synapse and gets eaten by a enzyme._

 _Alright. now there's this one neurotransmitter abbreviate GABA. There is the GABA receptor, which, when bound to, will tell the nerve cell 'calm down buddy. just relax'. Normally, the GABA shows up, binds to Receptor, everything cools down, then it leaves. (Keep in mind that the intesnity of a signal is determined by how RAPID the signal is. so how often the lock is activated)._

Okay, so most sedatives/tranquilzers are composed of a molecule that binds to the GABA receptor and doesn't leave. It's pretty much continously sending the ' _calm the f down_ 'signal to the brain. Problem is, if you use too much, all the nerve activity ceases and your heart stops lol. There is a calculated amount in tranq darts tho. so Yag ain't ded.

The speed at which the drug takes effect is dependant on the volume of the drug used, and how effeciently it is transported in the body. Clark prob shot Yag in the artery, so it was super fast. he's prob good at that kind of thing.

SCIENCE SHIT END (im sorry its so long)

TLDR: uh... don't do drugs.

Kay then. Finally the bois are out of southtown. Only took 19 chapters.

leaf a review.


	20. SHAKE ME UP!(shake me up, inside!)

_Bought the Facebook """dip""" at 173...its ruining me. It's like 160 now. fk my life. TCHEY is even worse... -11% i wanna die. thankfully not yet realized. Going looong. gonna be so full of regret. ohhh sweet maadeliinee~_

* * *

 _Am i allowed to shitpost here lol._

* * *

The first thing he heard was the thudding.

Was it his heartbeat? No. It was far too fast. Far too loud. The impact shook through the air and beat against his vocal chords. He felt the noise pounding in his chest.

Kyo lifted his head and tried to open his eyes. They stung, and he squeezed them shut again. He noticed his cheeks were slick with tears. The liquid made whatever was strapped over his face squeak against his skin. He was seated, back strapped against something. His hands were bound together and hung between his knees. There was a dull ache in his chest. His breath rasped dryly in his throat.

 _I'm… where?... they tied me up?!_

He immediately began panicking.

So did everyone else. The clamoring around him became chaotic. The floor lurched. A man's voice began shouting.

" _HOLY SHIT KID'S AWAKE. MAKE SURE THIS IDIOT DOESN'T BLOW UP THE HELICOPTER OR WE'RE FUCKED. LEONA! YOU CAN SPEAK JAPANESE RIGHT! STOP HIM FR-"_

Kyo didn't understand the yelling. It was in a language he wasn't familiar with… English probably. Besides, the noise was all but drowned out by the beat in the air and the sound of his own breath in the… gas mask? Respirator? Didn't matter. Nobody had been stupid enough to kidnap him in a long, long time. Apparently, it was high time the world got a reminder as to why it didn't mess with Kyo Kusanagi. _Did you idiots think my flames were fake? Ha! I've got a nasty surprise fo-_

His mask was ripped off and somebody grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him. The contact was unwelcome. He gritted his teeth as his head knocked against the back wall. Anger flared in his chest. He tried to shout, but his throat wasn't cooperating. Instead of making noise, it just burned.

"Don't fight! Do you want to die! Stand down!"

A woman was yelling in his face. The voice was familiar but Kyo was to frazzled to attach a name to it. Anyways, it didn't matter _who_ it was. The only thing that mattered was she had threatened him. Kyo Kusanagi didn't take kindly to being threatened. He snapped the zip-tie around his wrist and grabbed the woman by the arms. He forced his stinging eyes open. His vision was blurry, but it was enough to ignite. He was going to fry her like a chicken.

" _Oh my god, Leona! What the hell did you say! Move!..._ (shuffling) … _Hey! Hey man, calm down okay? You're safe, safe! Don't freak out..."_

The woman was yanked from Kyo's grip. Another person - a man, took her place. He grabbed Kyo's wrists and placed them back down into his lap. He was trying to de-escalate the situation, Kyo could tell by the tone of his voice. He didn't understand anything the man was saying, but decided he wasn't a threat. He let himself be pushed back into the seat. Besides, once he cleaned his eyes, he'd be able to roast whoever he wanted. Shit… it hurt so bad. Must've been from that gas that fell over the city earlier… _wait… I was just in SouthTown with… Yagami a minute ago… hang on… am I in… a helicopter?_

The man continued to talk and pat him on the shoulder. A wet wipe was pushed into his hand.

" _Alright… alright… calm down kiddo. It's gonna be okay. Just relax."_

Kyo frowned as his thoughts flew. He cleaned the stinging liquid from his eyes and blinked a few times. He squinted at the English-speaking man and, after a moment, recognized him. His throat burned as he emitted a confused croak.

 _...Clark? Ikari's here?... Wait… that means the crazy lady is Leona… ah… did they gas us? What happened to the zombies?_

Clark grinned, gave him a thumbs up, and handed him a water bottle. He tapped his watch, then made the hand motion for a plane landing. Then he pointed to Kyo's left. Kyo turned to look.

Iori was strapped into a seat near the window. He was also wearing a gas mask. Tufts of red hair stuck up from under it. He was slumped against the buckles. There was a nasty looking puncture wound on his neck; it was scabbing up. Leona was sitting next to the unconscious man, staring at his left arm. It had seized up oddly, the fingers were locked painfully in a gnarled claw. Kyo frowned at it.

 _Weird... hm. Well he's alive… guess that's good?_

Kyo lifted the water to his lips and carefully observed his surroundings. He was inside a helicopter hanger. The air was hot and stagnant and smelled of rubber, gasoline and gunpowder. The floor thrummed beneath his feet. There were four people in the hanger, Clark, Leona, Iori and himself. Presumably, there was a pilot in the cockpit up front. Clark was trying to communicate with him via charades, but it really wasn't working. He ignored the soldier and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

 _So… We got saved? Did they gas us before pulling us out? Maybe they were afraid we were infec- Oh shit._

Kyo gritted his teeth and rubbed the bug bite on his neck. He had been bitten too. Not directly, but if blood was the disease vector, he was likely to be infected. He glanced over to Iori's sleeping form. _And he's definitely infected…Is there a cure yet? What are they gonna do to us?_

There was a metallic clack as Clark snapped a magazine into his pistol. Leona was twisted away from him. The nasty looking firearm attached to her hip seemed to be staring at him. He glared back.

 _Could it be? They'll just kill if they find infected people? I mean... Maybe that's why they put the entire city in quarantine... are the Americans that crazy?_

Kyo watched the firearms warily.

 _Ikari's military right?... Didn't Terry say the military was up to no good? Should I try to escape? I don't think I can trust them… they'll probably try to cut me open and study me or something._

Kyo unbuckled himself and shifted over to the hanger window. He peeked out.

 _We're way too high up… I'll definitely die if I blow this thing up and jump… what to do… I can't let them know I've been bitten … and not Yagami either. If he's infected, they'll think I'm infected too. And if I ask about a cure, they'll get suspicious… We'll get locked up and studied... Shit…_

"20 minutes until landing. We will have you two out soon."

Kyo turned around. Leona was speaking to him? No, she was translating for Clark. Kyo regarded the man warily. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses and sat stiffly across from him. He winced as he leaned forward. Kyo saw bandages poking out from the top of his T-shirt.

"You're safe… Don't worry."

Clark seemed to be squad leader. He was trying to communicate friendliness. There was a wide smile on his face, but he carried a dangerous demeanor. Kyo could tell at a glance that the man wasn't to be taken lightly. He was probably and expert marksman too… If he decided to shoot now, Kyo's only method of defense would probably blow the helicopter to smithereens. If he wanted to live, he needed to avoid combat. He decided to play along… and hopefully collect some information.

"What happened? Did you gas us?"

Leona turned to speak to Clark. Clark nodded and muttered something back.

"No. That was the US Military. We came on a search-and-rescue for you and Yagami."

Kyo furrowed his brow. A search-and-rescue? They happened to pull off a 'rescue' thirty seconds after tear gas was dropped all over the area? Sure. That was believable. _Fine. I guess we're just gonna be lying to each other from now on… I need to escape once we hit the ground…_

"What's happening down there?"

"Don't know."

Kyo noticed that Leona didn't translate his message for Clark. She replied on her own. Clark frowned and tapped her in the arm. She briefly motioned to him.

"Where are you taking us?"

"You'll see."

The aircraft shuddered as it flew through a brief turbulence. The entire hanger shook, rattling everyone inside. Kyo kept his eyes fixed on Leona. She stared disinterestedly back at him.

"What's gonna ha-"

"Don't ask questions. Just be grateful."

Kyo closed his mouth and glared. Clark was preoccupied with someone on his radio. Leona turned her attention back to Iori, who sat motionless in his gas-mask. His breathing was loud and shallow. Kyo cast a glance at him, then at the blue-haired girl who leaned over him, before loudly addressing her.

"Fine. I'll be grateful. But listen carefully."

Leona sighed before looking at him.

"Once we hit the ground, I'm taking him-" Kyo motioned to Iori, "and we're getting out of here. If you won't tell me anything, then I'm sure as hell not gonna trust you. Sound fair?"

Leona suddenly looked worried. She turned to interrupt Clark's radio conversation. He seemed surprised then frowned disapprovingly at Leona.

"What do you want to know?"

She was translating again. Apparently Ikari wasn't just here for rescue. They also intended to keep them in custody. Kyo was thankful Iori hadn't woken up yet. He tended to ruin any negotiation he was involved in by blowing people up or screaming profanities. Usually both. After a few rounds of ruined peace talks, Chizuru had taken to just sending him away after the fighting was over.

"What's happening to SouthTown. What is this infection? Where are you taking us, and why do you wanna keep us in custody?"

There was a period of consultation before Leona spoke.

"An epidemic. Some theories say it's a rabies mutation. They're trying to reverse engineer it, no conclusion yet. We will land in South Carolina's US-Airbase. 15 minutes."

Kyo frowned. They hadn't answered his last question. Did they forget? Or were they trying to hide something. _US Military… Ikari IS working with them! How the hell did they 'save' us from the gas attack, then? These guys are bullshitting._

"... will you try to keep us there? Are we free to leave?"

Leona snapped at him. Clark sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

" _You_ can go. _He_ needs to stay. Do you see this?" She raised Iori's arm by the elbow. The finger joints were locked in strange angles. "Needs treatment quickly. He might die. Nerve toxin."

Kyo blanched.

"You guys dropped fucking nerve gas on us? Are you serious?"

Leona huffed and turned away. Kyo stood aggressively and made his way across the unsteady floor to reach his rival. He grabbed the unconscious man by the collar of his shirt and began shaking him.

"Yagami! Hey! Bastard!"

Iori flopped like a dead fish in Kyo's grasp. He didn't respond to the roughhousing. Kyo was getting worried. He usually didn't care much about his rival's well being. The man was like a cockroach. He was extremely annoying and pretty much survived everything you could throw at him. He had been a constant in Kyo's life for… how long now? 8 years? Even after he moved to America, Kyo still got the occasional text message telling him to kill himself, or rotting food in the mail. After a while it wasn't even offensive anymore, Kyo just found it funny.

 _Hell man… wake up! Wake up dammit!_

He yanked off the gas mask, and backhanded Iori across the face. Hard. The man looked like hell. There was blood in his teeth, and he was wearing a proper black eye. There were tears on his cheeks and a trickle of blood trailed down his chin from the corner of his mouth. Leona nearly jumped out of her seat. She looked like she was about to attack him, but Clark placed a hand on her shoulder. She contented herself with glaring at Kyo, who flipped her off.

 _Bitch… Alright, c'mon Yagami… Don't leave me with your crazy fangirl…_

The idea the Iori Yagami might actually die… just disappear was… Kyo couldn't wrap his head around it. He didn't want to think about it. He hated the man. He really did. They had spent countless hours sincerely trying to murder each other, but for some reason, Kyo could never envision Iori actually dying… He knew Iori felt the same way. Kyo slapped him again.

No response.

 _Fuck! Fuck!_

Kyo noticed Iori's waistband was soaked through in a dark liquid. He propped the man upright and lifted his shirt.

… _urgh. God… Holy shit! Holy Shit!_

Iori's sutures had been busted open. The wound had torn wider. Kyo could make out the layers of skin and fat, right down to the exposed muscle. It looked irritated and disgusting. Dark blood flowed out. The rest of his stomach was dark with bruises. He looked like he'd been trampled by a horse.

 _Are you fucking kidding me?… they didn't even put anything on him?! Are they actually trying to kill us?_

Kyo raised his head and began shouting. Leona was staring grimly at the wound. Clark muttered something to her.

"What the hell is this?! You came to rescue us, but you can't even bandage this asshole up? He's fucking bleeding out! Give me that first aid kit! ...Hey! Did you hear me?"

Clark and Leona didn't move. They stared stubbornly at him. Leona was squirming.

"What are you doing?! Come help me!"

They remained motionless. Leona looked pained. Clark stared calmly at him. Kyo began to panic. Why were they refusing to treat Iori's wounds? He huffed and pulled off his shirt, folded it and pushed it into Iori's stomach to staunch the bleeding. Leona stood, but was pulled back into her seat by her commanding officer. She sat there, eyeing Iori and fidgeting. They murmured to each other. Kyo ignored them.

 _Shit… is it working? Should I burn it shut?... no it's too big. Dammit. He needs stitches... again._

Iori had slumped back over. His head hung low. Kyo shifted into the seat next to him and grabbed him by the shoulder to keep the pressure on the wound. There was wetness seeping through the shirt. Kyo grimaced as he watched his palm slowly staining red.

 _Dammit, Dammit!_

There was a clattering in the hanger. Kyo lifted his head to look.

Leona had pulled out a hazmat suit from underneath one of the seats and was climbing into it. It was much too big for her, but she persisted. After a moment she was fully dressed. She snatched up the first aid kit and stumbled over to him. Clark watched her from the corner.

 _Ah… the blood… they already know about the blood? Are they suspicious of us?_

"Move. Alcohol your hands. Don't touch anything. Take this-" She handed him the kit, "do what I say."

* * *

 _Boi prob wasn't bleeding that bad until u started shaking the shit out of him. Gg kyo_

 _uh. the ending is super weak. sry. hopefully next chapter has a better ending. lol. I didn't wanna detail medical procedures at you. This is just a transition chapter anyways. maybe another chapter or two before daddy heidern shows up._

 _Lol Im liking leona more and more. Poor yag. getting kicked in the stomach 20 mins after stitching himself up. :(_

 _Leona is really bad at calming ppl down kek._

 _Kyo is such a tsundere. "I really hate Iori, but holy shit help me stop his bleeding (proceeds to freak out)"_


	21. Measurable BPM

_Riot's handing out nicknames! lol. Incase you don't remember: Kyo is ORANGE; yag is KING; Orochi is EARTH; There's a Mystery person called BLUE (figure it out. it's not hard). I need a name for Papa Heidern._

 _welp. This chapter was submitted at 12:15 Midnight, so it will deffo need a rewrite lol..._

* * *

 _Back here again…_

There's a dripping in the distance… or maybe it's up close. I can't tell. It's like a metronome. 62 beats per minute. On and on and on… It's quiet. Nice and quiet.

 _Eat… eeeaatt…_

God. Fuck this little shit.

Annoying little bastard… you're lucky you can't die. I _just_ finished chasing off the Orochi fucker and _you_ show up? Can you not? Just give me a little peace? You know you can't win against me right?… whatever. _Ignore it, Yagami. Just let it go..._

 _Drip... Drip…._

There's inky blackness all around. It's not unpleasant. I can't tell if it's warm or cold, but it's comfortable. Orochi's gone for the time being, Newguy is chanting in the corner. He can't move me. I own this place, he's like a rat in my house. Sure, he's pissing me off, but he can't even dream of beating me. _So just rest, Yagami… rest, cuz the moment you wake up, you're in for a world of hurt._

Can't say I'm looking forward to it. Riot's loose for the second time today. It's gonna burn so bad… I really might cry this time. Heh… _shit_

 _Drip… Drip…_

Ha! Rest, though? It's so fucking weird! This is the first time I've ever been in this place and _not_ freaking the fuck out. I mean, I've only been here… what, 3… 4 times? Yeah, I don't lose too often, but it's really fucking scary when I do. Imagine? I'm out there attacking everyone in sight! If I can't fight my way back on my own, I'll eventually get shot or drop from exhaustion. _Just knee deep in bodies… ugh._

I'm almost thankful there are people like Kusanagi around.

 _Did you just say that?… nah. Fuck the guy. Cheeky bastard. I'm gonna punch him._

 _Drip… Drip…_

The hell's up with Riot, though?

He's being so weird… what happened between him and Orochi? Usually they're best buds. I mean, Riot does all the heavy lifting when they're attempting a takeover. I think he's strong cuz he's actually part of _me…_ well my blood at least.

 _Yeah. He's got some sort of foothold that Orochi can't get. Probably that blood thing… annoying._

But apparently now he wants to be my friend? I dunno. It was either that or get shot. I didn't really have a choice. I wonder if he understood the instructions I gave him. I never noticed him talking before… is he learning?

 _Maybe?_

 _Drip… Drip…_

And what does he mean, he wants to be my friend? Like, hell! He was _literally_ born to be my enemy! I wonder if he managed to kill the dude…

 _He probably did. I think he knows how to use instinct._

That's good. Means I won't get shot… now that I think about it, if Riot is down to take orders, he _could_ be pretty useful. I mean, especially in situations like this. Slicing open civilians doesn't really sit too well with me… but Riot doesn't seem to have a problem with it. It's kinda nice in a twisted sort of way.

 _Chances are he's not a friend. He's just a bloodthirsty monster. If he takes orders, I can consider it. Otherwise we're back to war… gah…_

How am I supposed to fight Riot, Orochi _and_ Newguy at the same time? It's fucking impossible. Honestly...

 _Then you'd better hurry and kill Kusanagi, right? I mean… that's what we're supposed to do before we die… Right?_

Yeah. I guess?

… _think we can do it?_

I don't know. Do we want to?

 _...Don't know._

 _..._

 _Drip… Drip…_

I mean, Riot...

 _Yeah. I know. It was funny._

He was _so_ happy when I sent him out. I mean. Shit. He was so excited, that it was seeping over to me! Like if a dog learned to talk, and was begging to be taken out to the park or something… heh… what was he saying?

 _Friend something something… forgot. It was pretty adorable though… uh._

Yeah… I never thought I'd say that either. We're pretty weird… maybe I am a little crazy?

 _No way. We're not crazy._

Yeah. There's no way.

 _No way in hell._

 _Drip… Drip…_

I think time runs differently here. I'm usually pretty good with counting time. I mean, it's integral to the job. If you can't keep time, you've got no business on the stage… but I seriously can't pin down the time in here at all… besides for dripping metronome, I guess…

 _Count the drips?_

Can't pin it down.

 _hmm..._

 _Drip.. Drip.. Drip.._

Huh… it's faster! It's like… 83 now. Does it mean something?

 _I don't care… Nap?_

I think I'll take a nap.

 _Drip… Drip…_

…

…

"KING!"

Fuck!

Riot's back. He burst in, shattering my silence. He's feeling disappointed, It's affecting me ...That's… bad news, right? Shit. What happened? Riot? What happened?

"KICKED. KICKED."

 _What? What's he on about?_

"BLUE… KICK. KICK! NOT MOVE."

Riot was upset. Had he been defeated? Who could beat Riot? Sure, his technique was weird and clumsy, but his speed, strength and instinct more than made up for it. Nobody could take on the Riot besides for Kusanagi, and probably the Heavenly Kings. Did he fight Kusanagi? Did you fight Orange? Hey!

"NO ORANGE. ORANGE FRIEND. BLUE! BLUE!"

 _Who the hell is blue? Blue Mary?_

What happened? Where are we? Open the eyes!

"CAN'T. NO EYES."

 _What? My eyes are gone?_

"NO EYE. NOT OPEN."

 _Gouged out? Or I just can't open them? Shit!_

...

...

Riot! Did you lose?

"..."

Silence. This time, I wasn't appreciating it. There was a tremendous disappointment in the air. I knew the answer… I just wanted Riot to say something different… Come on…

Hey. Hey Riot!

"KING. SORRY. SORRY. KING."

 _Fuck._

"RIOT, SORRY."

 _Fuck!_

 _Drip… Drip…_

We sit there in silence. The metronome is still going. Riot's just here, feeling bad about himself. He was so excited to go out but ended up failing his mission. There's so much guilt coming off of him, that I don't have the heart to yell.

 _I'm sure he tried his best._

I'm sure he did… turns out he was listening after all...

 _Good news, then. We won't be warring... but..._

Yeah...but… now what?

The eyes weren't working. Everything was shut down. No sensory input. Touch, taste, smell… I'd been either knocked unconscious or killed… That time I got killed in Brazil… was it like this?

 _Don't remember… just hurt my chest really bad when I woke up…_

Huh… well shit.

 _Just wait it out then. Nothing else to do, right?_

Nothing else to do…

 _Take a nap?_

Good idea.

…

...

 _Drip… Drip…_

* * *

 _Iori agrees with himself that he's not crazy... that's great man._

 _I think Riot needs a hug._

 _Yag also needs a hug._

 _*_ In case you were confused. Iori was actually talking to himself. Like, do you ever refer to yourself in your own thoughts? like "Holy hell Nano, get your shit together and study cuz you got an exam in three days!" something like that. There's only four guys total. i promise. (sometimes yag gets confused tho kek)

 _Hopefully we get papa Heidern next chap. no promises tho. my chapter predictions so far have been 100% wrong._


	22. Mutual Trust

_Making devilmom sweat a little._

* * *

A machine blinked and hummed in a dark server room.

It chittered as relayed static.

A tall man sat beside it.

* _-no incidents to report concerning the US contract. We went in full hazmat and took care of business. We had the US check our guys afterwards. Everyone's clean. The payment should be wired in by Tuesday._ *

"The Sarin. How's Leona?"

* _we all took antidote just in case, She shows no symptoms. She should be fine. It's Yagami we're all worried about. The kid hasn't woken up yet. It's been… 6 hours already. We're waiting on more of that muscle stuff. He's breathing okay though._ *

"And Kusanagi? Are they infected?"

 _*Dunno. Well, at least he's not attacking anyone yet. US hasn't finished analyzing the body samples we brought. They don't have a test ready for us. We sent in blood samples for both of them, but haven't heard back. I sent mine in too. I got scratched by that maniac. Got a whole lotta stitches. I'm fine though, but I'm gonna give the brat an earful when he wakes up."_

"General ward?"

 _*No sir. We were considering tossing them in a hospital, but it turns out Kusanagi thinks he's infected. When we tried to take blood, he freaked out and set himself on fire. We had to tranq him again. I'm glad he can't dodge bullets. We turned one of the detention facilities into a medical ward and locked them both in. He's behaving for now... but it's not gonna last. I'm surprised he hasn't escaped yet. Probably waiting for his buddy to wake up.*_

"Colonel, Your first priority is to keep Kusanagi detained until I arrive. If he tries to run, Do not try to fight him. I don't want casualties. Worst comes to worst, stick a tracker on him. Understood?"

* _Yes Sir. Anything else Commander?_ *

"That'd be all. Heidern Out."

The tall man sighed. The plane rumbled beneath. It rattled through a spot of turbulence and shook the server. It lay still and silent.

Then, it began blinking again. Encrypting the message being spoken into it.

"Kagura?"

 _*...*_

 _*...*_

 _*What is it Heidern.*_

"I've got your hounds."

 _*What?! Both? Where! Tell me where! Don't you touch them, Heidern! They're mine.*_

"Aren't we allies Kagura?"

 _*... yes. Yes, we certainly are, Commander. So please, tell me where you're holding them. I just want them to be safe.*_

"SouthTown."

 _*... SouthTow- no. No! Heidern what are you thinking! Get them out! Get them out right now! What are you trying to do?!*_

"I need you in SouthTown. This 'zombie' virus requires your attention. I need your expertise. Won't you oblige me Kagura? Solve it, you can have your dogs back."

 _*Why do I care about SouthTown!? I-... Heidern! Is this a threat? Don't you dare thre-*_

"Kagura, I have all the bargaining chips."

 _*...You! (a frustrated noise)*_

"It's fine if you don't want to talk. I have things to take care of. I'll be keeping these two for the time being, though."

 _*No! No... I'll send a team down. Akira can solve whatever it is. When I fly them in, you put Kusanagi and Yagami on that plane for the return trip. Yes?*_

"Kagura. I said I needed _you_ in SouthTown. The US army can take care of the research."

 _*Me?! Why would-... you don't think this is biological? Speak clearly with me, Commander. I hate solving riddles.*_

"The SouthTown infection broke three days ago. You reported abnormalities with the Orochi seal shortly thereafter. It's been weakening hasn't it? Otherwise you wouldn't be so keen on getting these two back so badly."

 _*...*_

"We're allies, Kagura. Allies help each other. But if you fail to help me, there is no guarantee I'll help you. I might accidentally damage your assets. Do you understand?"

 _*Nightfall. I need a location. Where are you keeping the- where should I fly.*_

"Drive. The American Military base in Tokyo. Camp Asaka. I'll make arrangements for an IKARI jet."

* _..._ *

 _*...Oh, Commander. Shouldn't allies trust each other? Come now. No need for such militancy. I can fly on my own. I'll even bring my pharmaceutical team! We're the best in the world. We'll have SouthTown happy and healthy in no time. That's what you want, isn't it? I'll help you with your humanitarian effort.*_

"Kagura. The jet will be ready in two hours. It will await your arrival for three. Miss this window, and we will continue without you. You come alone. You fly alone. Understood?"

 _*Wait! Commander! You can't be serious! Is this kidnapping? Are you-...*_

 _*...*_

 _*Heidern?! Heidern, Answer me!*_

 _*...*_

 _*This basta-(click)*_

The server hummed. Then fell silent.

The tall man stood and left the dark room.

* * *

 _1k word chapter? yes pls._

 _So I counted the time elapsed over the course of the story... can you believe it? it's only been 3 days! haha... 22 chapters, 3 days. the first day doesn't really count either. it's only mentioned in passing._

Day1: Zombie outbreak occurs. Evacuation. Quarantine put in effect. Oldman get's killed.

Day 2: Kyo travels rooftops all day. breaks into somebody's apartment for the evening and tries to sleep. Gets mad and calls Yagami. Riot has been out being all murder-y with the neighbors since like, 5PM. Yag's patching himself up when Kyo calls. Decides to go pick him up, but goes nutballs. They hop in the car, hit some lady. Kyo freaks out and punches Yag. Yag freaks out and rips into a barber's shop. Then everyone calms down and they drive to Iori's house. Kyo's passed out and gets thrown face-first into bed. Yag leaves to go scavenge medical supplise cuz he's all fked up. Ends up being shot at, and just runs like a maniac into the night.

Day3: Kyo wakes up, breaks everything in the apartment and steals Yag's car. Tries to drive outta the city around until he gets spotted by a Military helicopter and they try to snipe him. Get's really mad and hits people with the car. Tries to hide under smoke cloud from helicopter - Smoke cloud caused by Riot being rioty. Helicopter bails. Riot kills everyone, then tries to go after Kyo. Normal Yag comes back in the nick of time and yells at Kyo for stealing his car. Kyo gets mad and yells back. Shenigans, etc... they go back to Yag's place, then start driving out of the city. Get gassed, Ikari shoots them. They're locked on some detainment facility now. Yag's been out for 8 hours, so it's evening of the third day. Chiz is in Japan, so it's early afternoon for her. She'll be in Southtown in approx 20 hours max (15 hour flight time. she arrives on day 4).


	23. Devilish Mess

_Hahahahaha... Let's have another misunderstanding party - except this time it's not with basketball and it's not with Teh-rhee Bor-ghar._

 _Some quick science notes at end._

 _This fic refrences events that happen in 'POLISH'_

 _it's 11PM. im getting better? lol jk i got no work done today hahaha..._

 _pls send a hitman after me. I don't wanna study anymore :(_

 _Ya guys wanna know how the Uniform securities act works? TT^TT_

 _murder me._

* * *

It was cool and dark.

The scent in the air was earthy.

Kyo shifted in his cot. He hung heavily in the dense cotton canvas. He noticed a spot of wetness on the pillow he was laying on. There was the soft clinking of metal as he moved.

 _Ugh… where?_

Kyo blinked a few times before his eyes focused. He was laying on his side, staring at the concrete wall of a jail cell. Groggy, he attempted to raise a hand to wipe the drool from his mouth. He met an unexpected resistance. As the clinking became more pronounced, he realized his hands were cuffed together behind his back. A long, heavy chain was attached to the cuffs and bolted him to the floor.

 _Oh shit. Oh Shit! They shot me again?_

Adrenaline punched him in the brain. His eyesight blurred as he scrambled to sit upright. The cot creaked worryingly beneath him. He gritted his teeth and willed the dizziness away.

 _How many times this week?! Gah!_

The past few days had been nothing but a series of panic attacks. First the zombies, next Yagami, now Ikari? It was frying his nerves. It was pissing him off. With a shout, he braced his boots against the cot's frame and yanked at the chain. The impact jarred his elbows. He couldn't generate any strength from the position his arms were in. The chain rattled loudly, but remained firmly attached to the floor.

 _Dammit! Dammit! Is that?... it's Iron. Am I a prisoner? Clark that fuck!_

Kyo gritted his teeth and thrashed until he toppled the cot. He landed on his stomach with a grunt and crawled to his knees. The floor was cold through the denim of his … cargo-pants? Somebody had changed all his clothes. He was wearing a set of cameo-print pants and a white tank top.

 _What did they do to me?!_

Kyo would be lying if he said he wanted his old, sweaty clothes back, but he would much rather be disgusting then have his privacy invaded. He had come away from the NESTS incident with a deep phobia of being manhandled. The feeling of waking - and not knowing what host of awful things had been done to him - was uniquely horrifying. The intimate fear. The helplessness. The humiliation. They were burned into his psyche. Kyo had vowed to never let anything like that happen again. He had made that promise to himself…

 _Ikari..._

Yet here he was, kneeling on a cold cell floor, wearing clothes that weren't his, and wondering what IKARI had in store for him. Were they going to experiment on him? Wait for him to turn into a zombie? Were they going to use him for the sake of ' _Bettering Humanity?'_ No… never again. The experience had been too traumatic. It had scarred him too deeply. They had carved open his skull _._ They had sliced open his belly. They had filled him with strange chemicals that seared his veins like acid… they would have killed him if Yagami hadn't shown up. They deserved to die, and if IKARI was going to do the same…

 _Fuck them. FUCK them! I'll kill them all! I'll burn them to ash!_

Kyo gritted his teeth. There was heat in his chest and behind his eyes. Flames burst out and consumed the cot, leaving only the blackened, aluminium frame. He recognized there was a sheen of anger tainting his judgement, but he didn't care. The experience was too similar. The feeling of dread was identical. In his mind, NESTS and IKARI had become one and the same.

NESTS had burned.

Now IKARI would suffer the same fate.

 _I'll blast them to pieces._

Kyo hissed. He was kneeling and hunched over. He knew why he was here… He was infected. The _fucking_ mosquitoes had gotten to him. Sooner or later, he'd become a zombie…and IKARI was surely searching for a cure. They intended on using him for the sake of the masses. But Kyo was done suffering for the sake of others. He had spent his entire life living for the world. Enough was enough. He was his own. If he was going to die, he was going to die free. For the last moments of his life, he was going to live for himself. Nobody would take his life from him. Nobody would tell him what to do.

 _I won't be anyone's sacrifice… I won't die for anyone!_

He raised his eyes and set his face like flint. He was ready to kill. He was ready to murder. Normally he went to great pains not to kill his opponents… but for NESTS, he made an exception.

And now, Kyo decided that IKARI had earned that exception as well.

 _Kill them! How do I kill them… shhh… okay. Think Kyo…_

Kyo forcefully exhaled. He quashed his anger and sat to lean against the cell's wall. The concrete was cool through his tank-top. He needed to stay calm. If he was going to pull this off, he needed his wits about him. IKARI was military. It consisted of highly trained personnel. They had communications. They had firearms. He could die from a well placed shot. He needed to get a bearing on his surroundings, then he needed to form a plan.

 _Hmmm… Can I use Yagami? He'll help me… right?_

For whatever reason, Iori was extremely good at fighting militaries. The man could calmly walk through a bulletstorm. His instinct had been trained on the battlefield… or rather… trained against South America's NESTS cartel. Kyo recalled the time when they were escaping from the Brazilian base - He had Iori slung over his shoulder and was sprinting out of the collapsing building. The whole while, bullets were flying, rockets filled the air, bombs were going off… and Iori was screeching in his ear. ' _Left, faggot! Jump, you fuck! On the ground! Duck! we're gonna die!'_

Kyo had been equal parts annoyed and shocked by how good Iori's instructions were. They had escaped without a single scratch. It was like magic. If Kyo wanted to take on IKARI, he should definitely bring his rival along for the ride. Besides, Iori had spent three months tearing across a continent to save him - he would help destroy IKARI if Kyo asked him to.

 _He's a little fucked up though… well, we were messed up worse in Brazil… yeah. We can do this._

Kyo tipped his head back and tested his blood. Yagami was alive, and somewhere nearby. Most likely in a cell in this self-same building. There wasn't any noise resounding from the hallways, so he was probably still asleep.

 _We can do this…_

He would find his rival later. First, he needed to find his bearings. Launching an attack without information was suicide.

It was dark, but Kyo's eyes were adjusting. His cell was windowless. There was a skylight in the hallway outside - behind the bars of the door. There were no guards. There wasn't any noise at all. Judging from the light that filtered through from the hallway, it seemed to be around late afternoon. Perhaps 3 or 4 o' was a ceiling mounted camera in the corner of the cell. Kyo glanced at it. It exploded.

 _Okay… so no guards. Smart of them… I've got nobody to threaten… I'll have to take care of the chain myself…_

He twisted to glare at the chain which snaked from behind him. He knew he couldn't melt iron, but he tried anyways. Kusanagi flames were fearsome. They could burn a person to crisp. He could _literally_ boil a person's blood. It took a mere glance, and they were dead. In true battle, a battle to the death, only fire users or those who were built specifically to resist flames could hope to compete against him.

But iron? Steel? Concrete?

 _Damn…_

A portion of the chain glowed bright red. Kyo gave it a solid yank, but it didn't give. If his hands weren't bound behind his back, he might have been able to tear the chain link apart, but the metal didn't even seem to be softening. His flames simply weren't hot enough.

 _Dammit… This is humiliating._

Whoever threw him in here certainly knew what they were doing. The bars were iron, the chain was iron, his cuffs were steel, there was concrete all around. For a moment, Kyo wished his flames were cursed as well. He could really use the extra three thousand degrees. Iori had yet to find something he couldn't turn into a puddle, but Kyo and all his clones still suffered under the restraints of stone and metal.

 _Wait! Solder!… maybe the bolt is soldered!?_

The fire extinguished and the chain cooled. Using the wall as a crutch, Kyo climbed to his feet and walked over to where the chain attached to the ground. He squatted next to it, then lit it up. He carefully heated the edge where the metal pieces seemed to be attached. If the joint was brazed or welded - Kyo was out of luck… but if the metal was joined via a soldering agent…

 _Yes! Okay. Okay._

Silver metallic liquid spread quickly in a small puddle. The hinge came free and the chain was disconnected. His hands were still bound, but at least he was free to roam about. Yagami could easily cut the cuffs off once Kyo found him. So, all he needed to do was find him. He would scour the facility for his rival, and if anyone tried to stop him, he would boil their blood. _Messy… hot and messy…_

The bars on the cell's door glowed red hot. They didn't melt, but they looked to be softening. They must have been made from a weaker alloy then the chain links. They caved as Kyo ran up and threw himself against them. He landed with a thud on the other side and rolled to his feet.

 _Alright Yagami… where are you…_

Kyo tested his blood, then glanced down the hallway in the direction it pointed. He spotted a camera at the far end. It exploded. If he could keep his little 'rebellion' a secret and catch IKARI by surprise… well, first he'd have to find Iori.

 _Yagami's also… I wonder if he's still human… will I need to kill him? Can he use his flames?... I'll have to see._

He was a lion - a wounded lion. IKARI thought they could control him, they thought they could use him for their own gain. But no. He would raise his head in rebellion against those who dared manipulate him. His flames would roar his defiance. Even on his last legs, he was strong. _Because_ he was on his last legs, because the end was in sight, he was strong. IKARI would fall. They would regret ever messing with him. Their destruction would be his legacy.

 _Come on you fucks. Fight me. I dare you! Come battle the fallen Kusanagi… come see for yourself why I'm the Scion of the Flame._

Kyo chucked mirthlessly to himself as he strode down the halls. He was wrapped in flames, they spiraled about his limbs in tight cones. The crackling accompanied him as he burned brightly in the dark corridors. Occasionally, a wall mounted camera exploded, showered the hall with glass. Behind him, his ten foot chain clinked and scraped against the floor. It glowed red hot and trailed like a long, devilish tail.

 _My time is running out. It's time to put on a show._

* * *

 _Sucks to suck IKARI. look what happens when you try to help firebois?_

 _where chiz?_

 _* Hello. Bug bites are a hint in the story as to the nature of the Virus. Pay attention... or don't and just wait for the reveal._

 _* some throwbacks to other stories._

 _Kyo says:_ _'I won't lay my life down for anyone'. (proceeds to go find that one guy who laid his life down for him once, and convince him to do it again in a war against IKARI)_

 _Kyo says: 'I'm going to murder whoever tries to manipulate me for their own gain'. (proceeds to go after IKARI, who is the only force which butts heads with the person who actually manipulated Kyo for her own gain)._

 _conclusion- don't listen to Kyo._

 _BRIEF SCIENCE:_

 _* Kyo had to get stripped cuz Sarin remains in clothing. I had an autism, so I forgot about this fact and had everyone chatting in the helicopter with their masks off. Everyone should prob be dead tbh. lol... kill me too!_

 _* I chose an arbitrary limit for Kyo's flames, which is 1000*C. Yag goes to 4000*C. When they fight, it doesn't really matter cuz both are essentially fireproof. But in situations like this, it deffo matters. If it was Yag, he would've either cut the cuffs off, or melted them off. Kyo's gotta go after the solder. (low(er) melting point alloy that is used to connect pieces of metal. 700~*C). Yag can do shit like melt bullets in flight. Kyo can't._

 _* you can think of Kyo and yag in terms of Shooter games.  
_ _\- Kyo is like a pro videogame player who's got all the strategies down and has tons of experience.  
_ _-Yag is a dumb kid who installed aimbot._

 _Pit them against eachother, Pro will win cuz skills. But if ur vs an army of 100 noobs, aimbot wins out (actually you prob need wallhacks too, but whatever. U get my point)._

 _I miss Spanish Yag._


	24. Beach Bunny

_Huehuehuehuehuehue. (lennyface)_

* * *

The darkness shook.

It was still.

It shook again.

And was still again.

Iori Yagami lay under that inky blackness. His brain felt cold. His mind was numb. He couldn't think - but he didn't want to. It was soft. It was quiet. There was a comforting haze all around. It seemed to breathe slowly, like a great beast. The faint dripping had become a gentle thudding beat. He listened to it. He languished in the mist. He bathed in the feathery darkness.

He didn't want to leave.

He wanted to rest. It had been so long since he last rested. How long had it been? Years…? A decade? He had moments of respite where he knew Orochi and Riot would leave him alone. But, surely as the sun rose, so would they. The never-ending battle would continue. He could never truly let go. Just let go and rest…

Until now.

Because, now, his great enemy had become ally. The Blood Riot had boldly decided they were friends, and was sitting beside him in solidarity against Orochi and Newguy. He was the King, Riot was his blood. Together they were strong enough that Orochi's maddening voice was muted, and the pangs of hunger Newguy sent his way were a mere afterthought.

The situation was certainly better than before, but despite this, Iori was angry.

He was mad at how flippant Riot was.

They had been bitter enemies for… how long now? A decade? A decade of blood, sweat and tears. They had fought ceaselessly. He had nearly killed them both via suicide. They had soaked his bed in tears. They had vomited gallons of blood. Breaking that bond of hatred couldn't be so easy. There was no way that Riot could simply waltz back into his head after knocking him out, and behave like they were buddies.

 _dumbass…_

But that's exactly what he did.

He came back, reported the bad news, then curled up beside him and fell asleep without a care in the world. Who did this brat think he was? Did he think he would be forgiven? Just like that? Iori felt a deep disgust rise like bile in is… well he didn't really have a throat at the moment, but surely he'd be vomiting if his body was functional.

...

But what was the alternative?

Keep fighting? Could he afford to turn down this _'friendship'_?

With the addition of Newguy to the roster, the balance in his psyche had tipped. If he fought, he would lose. Whether he like it or not, he needed Riot on his side. In fact, it was a miracle Riot even decided to ally with him. He had no idea why Riot did what he did, or if he had some nefarious purpose, but the simple truth of the matter was Iori needed him. He needed him bad.

Because the placidity that he brought was just too good.

If Riot stood at his side, he would rule himself. Nothing could hope to usurp them. He would hold his mind in peace. He'd never had a madhouse again. It'd be beautiful.

 _Heh… imagine that?_

The curse in his blood, which dyed his flames purple and filled him with unquenchable rage. The entity which had been the bane of his existence for years on end. Riot, the Blood Riot… it could give him peace? It could save him?

 _Bullshit!_

 _Above, th_ e darkness shook. Something was cracking through.

 _Bullshit… but it's good enough for me. I'll do it. Hell, haha! I'm all in._

From now on, not only was he going to befriend Riot, he was going to rely on him. He was going to trust him with his life. Everything had been flipped. Nothing made sense… but it never made sense to begin with. In fact, even a lot of the things _he_ did were irrational! Of course Riot behaved erratically! This shift in paradigm shouldn't even be strange.

 _I don't know why he jumped from Orochi's ship, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is he's mine now... and I have no intention of giving him up. If he'll give me peace and security… well then, I'm anyone's bitch._

The haze trembled. The darkness crumbled as it was pierced by a warm orange glow. Riot was silent beside him. Iori looked- thought? him over.

 _He's always been mine, hasn't he? Ever since I became the heir… I'll do whatever it takes to finally escape that nightmare. I'll be his friend, what the hell. Whatever he wants… let's do it! We'll give it a shot. Hehehe… It might not work, but at least it'll be interesting._

The veil of darkness was lifting. A noise tickled his ear. Something shifted against his arm. He felt the breath surge in his lungs. He tasted iron in his mouth. He smelled something familiar… something charred. But he was too busy wrapped in his thoughts to realize his senses had returned.

 _This is so dumb. Heh… Whatever. I don't care. Suck a fat one Orochi! Hahaha!_

"..-ck up. Assh-... Wake u-..."

 _Hahaha!_

"Holy shit man, stop laughing and wake up! It's creepy as hell!"

 _...eh?_

* * *

 _legit. that's pretty freaky tho._

 _Shitty chapter. I need to slug through this shit before I can get to the fun stuff. TLDR - Yag decides he's a bitch. lez go._

 _shortest chapter in history of short chapters._

 _yeet_

 _name this travesty_


	25. Pride and Joy

_Bahahahaha Y'alls forgot about this one huh?!_

 _Nah. have more crazy firebois._

* * *

It was nearly evening by the time Kyo found his rival. He could only tell the passing of time by the dim sunlight that filtered through the dirty, fogged window panes. His shoulders and elbows hurt in their awkward positions and the red hot metal was pressed warmly against his wrists. The cuffs, however, remained stubbornly rigid under the blast of heat and failed to soften even slightly. Attached to his cuffs was the long chain which trailed behind him, scraping against the ground and leaving burn marks on the concrete. It clinked loudly as it followed him like a terrible, devilish tail.

But Kyo couldn't hear the noise it made. He couldn't hear anything at all. His flames roared and the rapid changes in pressure caused his ears to pop continually. The air around him crackled and warped with heat as he stalked down the long prison hallways. He breathed heavily through tightly clenched teeth. His gums ached from the pressure, but he was too angry to care. He smelled nothing but smoke. He saw nothing but red and the corners of his vision had long become blurred. He following his boiling blood like it was a treasure map. It led him through the winding hallways, closer and closer to his rival. For the first time in his life, _he_ was hunting down Iori Yagami.

 _Pretty funny, huh? Hehe… everything is upside down… I'm gonna fucking kill someone._

His meandering walk down those dark, sterile corridors, did nothing to assuage his anger. His mind was blank. He was a Kyo-shaped shell of rage. His breath was hot and whistled through his teeth. He kicked the floor with every step. He wanted to let loose. _To just scream and let go…_

Trauma affects people differently. Some are overcome by it. It eats them alive and reduces them to shivering wrecks. Some ignore it. They lock themselves up and become stone-cold while their feelings brew potently beneath their masks.

Some hate.

The trauma ignites and draws out a hateful personality. The hate had always been there. It was just cold and dormant, hidden beneath many layers of societal constraints. The love of his family. The loyalty of his friends. His pride. His strength...

But when trauma stripped everything away, oh… by hell did he hate. He hated _violently._

NESTS? IKARI? The US Military? He didn't give a shit. He'd tear them all to the ground. He didn't even care if this was a misunderstanding! He didn't care about anything at all. He was mad. Mad! Pissed! Crazy, even! Angry enough to spit-roast the first person he came across! He'd gotten bitten by a shitty zombie mosquito and was now living on a countdown. There was nothing he could even do about it, there was nothing to fight. He was gonna die. But before he expired, he had a hell of a lot of baggage to unload. Woe to first poor bastard he got ahold of.

 _If I'm gonna die, I'm taking all these fuckers with me._

Kyo Kusanagi was going out with a bang. Sure it was selfish, but why did he care? Who cares about legacy? Who cares what their obituary says? NESTS had ruined him. Nobody could understand him after _that!_ Did they think he could just walk out of there the same person who went in? _6 months_ of torture? _6 months_ of helplessness? _6 months_ of lonely, humiliating isolation?

No.

Nobody could understand. Nobody even tried to! When he arrived back in Japan, his family met him with hugs and tears. They went on and on about how happy they were to see them. How much they thought about him. How hard they prayed for him. _But what the hell did you do?! While I was locked up getting acid pumped into my veins you were eating and drinking and… fuck!_

They had no right to cry over him. They didn't do anything. They only associated themselves with him for the novelty. It was amusing to have the ' _Kusanagi Flame'_ as an ally. They wouldn't bleed for him. They wouldn't lift a finger! They just wanted to take and take and take and take… and when he had nothing left to give, when he _required_ something of them, then _they were nowhere to be found._

Only Yuki was true. She was the only one Kyo was glad to see. The only reason she wasn't down in Brazil, sneaking through the jungle looking for him was for pure lack of ability. She was a college student! She could lift maybe 40 pounds. She could run a ten minute mile… She couldn't help him, but according to Iori, she begged to come. She was the only one Kyo regarded as family anymore.

And Chizuru! How could he forget! That cold, seemingly heartless woman was not as cold as she seemed. She had pulled every stop for his sake. She was integral to the search, she was integral to Iori's successes, and she wasn't even Kyo's friend! A veritable stranger had done more for him than his closest family had! For two months, the might of Kagura Pharmaceuticals stood behind him. All of Chizuru's vast resources were at his disposal. He had KP's _generously paid_ research team fretting over for so long he started worrying about how much he _cost_.

 _She didn't seem to mind though… I… guess KP's doing fine._

Everyone else had abandoned him. His own flesh and blood had cast him off like an old garment. The veritable _army_ of Kusanagi flame wielders had sat about twiddling their thumbs while Yuki begged them for rescue. They ignored her, content to merely say a few sad words at his phoney funeral then wash their hands of him.

 _What was I to them?! I was their 'pride and joy', huh!? Haa?! Hahaha..._

Yeah, his father's 'Pride and Joy'. The jewel of the Kusanagi. The Invincible Scion of the Flame. So what happens when he gets caught and beaten down and crushed? What happens when the flame is extinguished and the jewel is tarnished? … _naturally_ , the moment he dared bring shame upon his clan, they'd have nothing more to do with him.

 _Heh… Maybe… I should … no, they're still my family… hm._

When Iori showed up at the Kusanagi estate and attempted to bring a hunting party to Brazil, they laughed and dismissed him. They had no use for an extinguished flame.

So Iori went alone.

He went through hell. He'd broken everything. He'd gotten shot at. He'd been sliced to ribbons. He'd been electrocuted. He'd slept nights in the mud. He had spent three months living in the most disgraceful and arduous conditions. His reward? To bloody his head with the lives of thousands. To soak his hands in innocent blood. He had ripped his way across a continent, torn his concious to bits, went insane, then he died.

But he succeeded.

Because of him, Kyo was alive. He finally walked free from his long imprisonment. As he carried his rival from the exploding base, he didn't even know what to think. He didn't know how to react... And apparently neither did Iori.

Because halfway through hacking his lungs out into Kyo's shoulder, Iori claimed that none of this would affect their rivalry whatsoever. He professed they were still going to fight, and that Iori still hated him with every fibre of his being. It was probably the most blatant display of ' _being in denial'_ Kyo had ever seen in his life. At first he was just shocked, but eventually it became amusing. Just to egg him on, Kyo offered to fight him to the death.

The saddest, most unenthusiastic ' _prepare to die, Kusanagi'_ that ever escaped Iori's lips sent Kyo into such a severe bout of laughter, he nearly dropped his rival.

 _Idiot still showed up to the assigned place ten days later… heh, what a nutjob. I'm glad I asked Kagura to helicopter him away before he insisted I break the rest of his ribs…_

That night on the Brazilian cliffside, Kyo looked to the stars for the first time in six months. He saw the beauty of the trees, he took fresh air into his lungs, he listened to the angry screaming from retreating helicopter, and he _knew_ who his real friends were.

And IKARI…

Not only did they want to pick him apart for the " _greater good_ ". No, that wasn't good enough for them. They weren't content with just him. They also wanted to do the same to one of the few friends Kyo had left. The only person he could depend on to fight beside him when the world was collapsing.

 _These bitches are fucked. The moment I get these chains off, I'm gonna go full on rampage… It's gonna be a night to remember._

Kyo stopped walking abruptly, then swiveled on his heel to the left. He was close, really close. Iori was just on the other side of this wall, probably chained up and bleeding everywhere too. The very thought riled him up all over again. He stomped down to the end of the hall and threw himself against the cold iron to peek through the bars.

There he was, Iori Yagami, chained up and sleeping like a baby. There was an IV sticking from his arm. His wrist was handcuffed to the cot's frame so the needle wasn't wrenched out. There were bandages wrapped all around his midsection and his left arm was still curled into a painful claw. _Will he be able to use that hand anymore after the nerve gas? Why does his face look so weird? Why is he laughing… whatever, I just need you cut me loose man. You can laugh all you want after..._

"Ass. Hole. Wake. Up."

"Hahaha…. Hehee…. "

He stirred but didn't wake. There must've been something in that IV keeping him down. Kyo observed his rival carefully before he decided to break into the cell. Iori didn't look like he was rioting, if he was, the chains wouldn't be able to hold him. It didn't look like he was exhibiting signs of infection either. A zombie - even chained up - would've woken by now to lunge at him.

Did he have some sort of immunity? He _did_ say he never got sick because of the Orochi blood. Something along the lines of: ' _It's like hot sauce. Nothing can live in it. Even insects don't go after me. Enjoy the mosquitos sucker! Hahaha etc...'_

Kyo grimaced. He really didn't enjoy the _fucking_ mosquitos…

Anyways, Iori's curse didn't matter. He had gone about splashing in infected blood, and that meant was just a matter of time before Iori succumbed to the virus and went on rampage. For the first time ever, Kyo was ready to riot right beside him.

Iori's life had always been on countdown, and this incident had caused his expiration date to be accelerated. The fact of his imminent death probably wouldn't affect him so badly, or at least not as badly as it had effected Kyo. Surely Iori always thought about dying. He was probably mentally prepared for it.

Kyo wasn't, and it was driving him nuts.

It's not that he wanted a word of comfort, or he thought Iori had a solution, but the fact that someone… _anyone_ was in the same boat he was. Well, just that was enough.

 _Its better that way. We can burn this place down together…_

Kyo backpedaled until he was standing against the opposing wall. He took a deep breath, intensified his flames and charged at the red-hot iron bars. They bent beneath his shoulder and let him through. He crashed clumsily into the cell, pieces of metal bar struck the concrete around him, throwing up orange sparks. He extinguished the flame, then, with a grunt, crawled to his feet. He approached the cot and planted a foot against the its frame. He gave it a good shake.

"Hell-o! Good morning! Wake the fuck up!"

Iori was still giggling to himself. He was strapped down limb by limb. IKARI had changed his clothes and… _brushed his hair? What the fuck._ As he laughed, the wound on his stomach began to weep blood into the bandage. Kyo grimaced at the growing red stain and shook the cot harder.

"Holy shit man, stop laughing and wake up! It's creepy as hell and you're gonna bleed out. Come on."

The laughing suddenly stopped. Iori snapped his eyes open and stared straight up at him. His face clearly said _'What the hell'._ He stayed like that for a few moments and Kyo watched the gears turn in his head. He coughed, then opened his mouth to speak.

"Liking the neckbeard, bitch."

Kyo kicked the cot over.

* * *

 _As air heats up, the volume will increase. That's why the pressure keeps changing and Kyo's ears keep popping. That's also why I always say the flames crackle and explode, because of the pressure change. Theoretically, because Yag's fire is much hotter than Kyo's Yag's flames Always explode. Kyo can make his be smoother cuz the temp is lower._

 _The guys haven't shaved in a while._ :0

 _Get ready for crazy firebois tearing shit up lol._


	26. Bad Bromance

_Guys._

 _You thought Yag was crazy? heh._

* * *

... That's the shittiest idea I've ever heard."

"Bitch, I didn't ask for your opinion."

Kyo rubbed his wrists and crossed his arms before leaning back against the cell wall with a thump. His cuffs had been melted off and lay on the floor in a viscous glowing puddle. Kyo didn't realize how dark it was until he extinguished his flames and his eyes took nearly a full minute to adjust to the murkey cell. He had similarly blinded Iori, and the red-haired man had very angrily let him know.

 _Idiot… adjusting to the dark is literally the least of your problems…_

Iori was sitting up in his bed with the look of disgust on his face. He _really_ didn't like Kyo's idea, but Kyo didn't care. He wasn't caring about anything right now and wasn't open to listening to anyone's opinion. _Especially_ not the opinion of the craziest, most insane person he knew.

 _Stop being a Bitch and tell me what I wanna know!_

Kyo was glad Iori wasn't a zombie yet, but mostly because he needed his cuffs off. If Iori couldn't cut him loose, then Kyo would have to battle IKARI hobbled. Without the use of his arms, he'd probably die before he could get much done. He might not even _get_ anyone at all! But at least dying via gunfire was better than getting picked apart on a laboratory table. He'd never let that happen again. No way in hell.

 _Heh... I'd at least go out with a 'literal' bang._

Now that he thought about it, it didn't matter _when_ he died. He was probably going to expire this week anyways. A few days more, a few days less, it didn't matter so long as he could fulfill his goal. All he knew was he needed to build his coffin with IKARI corpses.

 _God, I'm talking like a crazy person._

Thankfully, Iori was alive. He was quite-unwell, but was mostly sane. He had melted Kyo's cuffs off and thereby greatly improved Kyo's chances of effectively fighting this war. He had his flames, his two hands, and his rival. There was work to be done, and Kyo was chomping at the bit - ready to get started.

 _*Shrrriiick… Shrriiick...*_

The sound of razors on metal grated on Kyo's ears. The noise pissed him off, and Iori probably knew it. He was taking his sweet time shredding the chains. If he wanted to, he could've snipped through them in one go, but of course he didn't. Iori didn't seem to be feeling any urgency at all. In fact, the lunatic even dared to question his frame of mind. _Iori Yagami_ was asking if _he_ was sane _._ Of course he was sane! And of course this was the right course of action! It was the only reasonable course of action to take! _Dumbass!_

"Your _bright_ idea is stupid as hell. You don't wanna fight those gu-"

"I asked if it was possible, not what you think. I don't care what you think. Just tell me if we can do it!"

Kyo hissed at him. His temper flared and his blood boiled. He pushed off the wall and approached the cot until he was standing menacingly over his rival with a snarl on his face. Iori just glared tiredly at him and snorted, refusing to be intimidated. He tore the chains around his ankle away, ignited them, and tossed them spitefully at the wall. They stuck to the concrete and began melting until the purple glow faded.

He had done everything with just his right hand. His other was locked into a claw. He was completely ignoring the disability, probably unwilling to show weakness before his rival. His left eye was dyed dark red with blood and he acted like he couldn't see from it. He sported a dark bruise on his cheek from where Kyo had punched him. His arms and legs were peppered with bandages and gauze. The bite marks he had everywhere, the bruises on his stomach, and that nasty gash in his side were enough to limit his movements. Even with his monster pain tolerance, he was poking around gingerly.

 _Doesn't matter. We're gonna fight. We're gonna do this. You better help me or I'll kill you too..._

Iori shifted to plant both feet on the floor, Kyo stepped back to avoid getting kicked. The man was obviously in pain and was trying very hard to hide it. He took his IV out, but once he started trembling, he shakily put it back in. He began fidgeting with the stiffened fingers on his left hand. He didn't seem nearly as upset about it as Kyo would've been. Was he rationalizing his injury? Like, ' _It doesn't matter cuz I'll be dead in 48 hours?'_

 _He probably hit his head... or they drugged him. Like a sedative or something..._ _It doesn't matter. He can use his flames and that's all I need._

Iori was facing his death with a stiff upper lip and resigned grimace. Kyo wasn't resigned about his imminent death, _no siree_ he wasn't. Kyo was mad enough to kill someone, and he planned to. He planned to take as many as he could.

Kyo stared hard at his rival. His voice came out as a growl.

"So? Talk. Can we do it?"

He almost smiled when he heard Iori's answer. It most definitely would not have been a nice smile.

"Can the two of us take on IKARI?... Hah! Who the fuck you think I am? We can do it. You might get shot. Ever been shot?"

"Nope."

" _Eso Apest-_ It sucks ass. Try to enjoy it."

Kyo blinked, then grinned. Iori had just agreed to fight by his side. Kyo had anticipated this, no, he was counting on it. He needed his rival's help. In tournament battles, the 'combat sport' side of fighting, Kyo was better. He could beat just about anyone when he fought one on one… or even three on one! But when it came to _actual warfare… well. It hurts my pride, but I can't melt bullets._

Kyo had fantastic heat tolerance. He couldn't remember the last time he burnt himself unintentionally. The moment he activated his flames, he was rendered heatproof. A hot stove was a table to him. Hot coals might as well be glowing baseballs. Bullets could still kill him, but _melted_ bullets? The worse those could do was seep lead into his clothes and leave bruises where they impacted. If he wanted to be bulletproof, he needed Iori's cursed flames.

 _Great! Awesome! Let's do this shit!_

Kyo walked back to the corner and slid down the wall until he was seated on the cold concrete. He rested his wrists on his knees and grinned at the red-haired man across the room. Iori had extended his messed up hand outwards and was evidently trying to make a fist. A couple of joints worked, the rest were locked rigid. Kyo didn't comment on it.

 _I just need him to follow me around and melt everything… As long as he can walk we're good._

Iori was observing him carefully with his good eye. His brow was knotted in worry, and he suddenly looked very uncertain. Well he _had_ just woken up. It was only a matter of time before he realized the necessity of killing every single person in the military compound.

"Kusanagi. I'm serious, IKARI's worse than NESTS. They know how to deal with flames too. If you wanna do this, we can't just go in guns blazin'... They'll kill us. You hear me? Hey... are you _alright?_ "

Kyo scowled and rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine. We'll be fine. Just lend me your fire and I'll do the rest. We'll fuck them up good. You're kinda messed up right now, so you can't fight. Just follow me around okay?"

"Fight? Kusanagi, they're gonna fucking gas us!"

"..."

Gas? Shit. Of course. Why didn't he think of that? Maybe _he_ wasn't the one thinking straight... no. His reasoning was perfectly fine. He had just forgotten a detail... _but if they gas us like before... then what!?_

Kyo was coming up blank. He voiced his concerns.

"... alright. So, what's the best way to take IKARI out? You did NESTS down in South America, right? Did you have a strategy?"

Iori just frowned at him silently. What was he worried about? Why was he so concerned. _We're both gonna die soon anyways. Nothing matters anymore, okay?_

"The best way is prob-... Wait why are we even doing this? I've worked with IKARI before. They wouldn't-"

"Yagami! I saw them with my own _fucking_ eyes! They're gonna rip both of us apart and put us in jars or some shit, okay? They're NESTS, but worse. I know this, and I'm _sure_ of it. If you don't go with me, I'm going alone. Come on man, Help me... Please!"

Kyo wasn't one to beg, but his desperation was showing through. He regretted that _'please'_ immediately, but hopefully it would do the trick. He stared hard at the man seated stiffly on the cot.

Iori had hunched over to stare at his feet. He ran his hand through his hair and sat motionless for a long while, holding his forehead in his hand. Kyo climbed to his feet and held his breath. He couldn't succeed without Iori. He was going to try anyways, but it was almost guaranteed to fail. _Come on man... we're gonna die, so stop messing around and help me! Fuck!_

 _"..."_

The room was cold and silent. Nothing moved, just the rising and falling of breath. The light outside had dimmed and died. Twilight had come and gone, and night had fallen over the army base. Kyo gritted his teeth and stared into the darkness at Iori's motionless form. He waited in silence.

Finally, Iori broke it.

"... there was a mission I ran with Heidern once. We could repeat it."

Iori murmured the words listlessly into his palm. To Kyo, those words were like lifeblood. He released his breath and barked a short laugh.

"Yeah?... good. I knew I could count on you... Tell me about it."

"... It's nasty. Your moralistic ass isn't gonna like it."

Kyo grinned unpleasantly.

"Try me."

* * *

* _Colonel, most of the cameras are down. We're blind in the building._ *

It was 7PM and Clark swung his feet up onto the radio table. The Commander was still five to six hours out and had charged the Colonel to keep Kyo and Iori detained until he arrived. Of course, something like this was easier said than done. Kyo wasn't much of an issue. They could just lock him in a concrete cell and he wouldn't be able to go anywhere until someone let him out. Sure, he'd be the angriest little fuck on this side of the planet, but he'd be an imprisoned one.

Iori was the issue. He always was. The guy was problematic on all levels and crazy to boot.

Sometimes when IKARI troops were in a bind, Iori would get helicoptered in and he'd throw his problematic self at whoever Heidern pointed at. So far, nobody had survived. The guy probably had the highest kill-count on the planet! So the last thing Clark needed was that psycho running around and melting holes in the walls.

 _I hope they don't find the aircrafts on their way out... it'll get expensive if they do._

They were going to attempt a prison break eventually, and Clark's job was to slow them down as much as possible without actually confronting them and putting his men at risk.

 _Yagami should still be down and out though. Don't know him too well, but hopefully he has enough sense not to wander with those wounds._

Clark yawned then buzzed in over the radio in response.

"Yeah, we expected as much. The nutballs will probably try to escape soon. Keep an eye on the building. If someone breaks out of the place, call back all the patrols in the area. We don't want any casualties. If you've got a clean shot, try to tranquilize them or use tear gas. Deadly force is not authorized. If you encounter them, stay clear and they'll leave you alone. Kusanagi's a pacifist so he'll probably try to run if he sees you. Yagami - you guys know him, the purple fire guy- he's the dangerous one. Watch out for him."

 _*Yes sir.*_

Clark sighed. The Commander had reassured him, saying the two sacred treasures weren't ones to attack unprovoked. Unfortunately, Clark had seen firsthand how destructive the two could be. He wanted to avoid confrontation altogether, but he had a duty to his Commander. He felt like he was playing hot potato with a nuclear warhead.

 _Should I just tear gas the place pre-emptively and shoot them when they get out? … then we can knock them out again. It'll be another wild goose chase with Yagami, but he probably can't run or anything. There are enough boots on the ground so we'll tag him eventually. Hopefully another dose will keep them down until the Commander and the Yata lady arrive._

*Bzzt*

Clark was startled out of his thoughts.

 _*Sir! Patrol Alpha5 has just gone radio silent. They were going around the back of the prison. Awaiting orders.*_

Shit.

"Get a light on them. Clear everyone else outta the place. Get someone to spot you from the air, then go check on the patrol. If you see anything suspicious, haul your ass outta there. These guys are dangerous, but we can't kill them. Stay sharp!"

 _*Yes Sir*_

Clark smiled grimly.

 _It's starting._

* * *

 _Whoops. Everyone thinks Yag's the problem, but it looks like Kyo's the real issue here._

 _I wonder_ _how shts gonna go down hehe._

 _Kyo is deffo not sure of anything. He's come up with some ideas, and had thoight about it over and over until he believed it. Now he's so sure Ikari is nests that he's begging Yag to rampage with him. Yag is like... Fam. U nuts, but okay._

 _Chiz has sent Yag to go work with Heidern a couple of times. He knows some of the Ikari soldiers. :) But he can do some seriously nasty. Shit if kyo needs him to. I mean, hell._

 _Bromance turned nasty._

 _Lol._


	27. Don't touch my stuff!

_"I'm a really timid guy"_ \- Iori Yagami

 _Walks into Rock's 300 person calculus lecture wearing booty shorts_ \- also Iori Yagami

:0

* * *

"Careful now... See this?" Iori pointed at the IV bag. The almost empty pouch of mystery drugs swung worryingly on it's rickety aluminum stand. He had been carrying it around like a safety blanket ever since they put their plan into action. "It keeps me… from keeling over."

His breath was short and his voice didn't come out like he wanted it to. He had tried to be intimidating, _just like the Valentin Op,_ but something about him was wrong. His left arm was dead. His left eye was blurred to the point of blindness. He couldn't draw his breath fully, and the wound on his side was sending pangs of pain radiating through him. If Kyo hadn't woken him up and threatened him, he would've happily lain in bed and stared at the ceiling for however long IKARI let him.

 _Why can't I fucking breathe… ugh…_

He wasn't exactly sure what had happened, or what exactly was wrong with him. Kyo seemed to know something, but he wasn't talking. The man was completely consumed by indiscriminate murder, and it was jarring but unsurprising. Iori had seen his rival angry before. Last year, Riot broke loose during the KOF tournament and turned against his unsuspecting teammates. In no less than five minutes Riot had shattered Shingo's ribcage, broken his arm in three places and nearly gouged out his eye. Kyo had been subject to the initial attack and lay on the floor, halfway gutted and choking on his own blood.

… _If not for that damn fruitcake I would've actually killed them…_

Generally, Kyo took rather kindly to being moderately injured. He was a true sportsman and wasn't one to hold a grudge over a broken rib or getting his arm sliced open. However a real attempt on his life wouldn't be overlooked. He wasn't a humble man by any measure and valued himself highly. He grudgingly accepted a sportsman's defeat, but betrayal? Teamkilling? _He couldn't stand for that… he didn't…_

From that moment on, the grudging camaraderie they'd built over the ruins of South America's NESTS cartel was all but forgotten. Kyo had determined to _kill_ his rival, and Iori escalated in response. One year of real battle. One year of unabashed hatred. One year of murderous, unbridled rage. When the next KOF tournament came around, for the first time in his life, Iori felt real fear when he stepped into the ring. There was no bantering trash talk, none of the semi-friendly roughhousing, nothing. They steered well clear of each other, and when they stood at the ready in the ring… well, they didn't get very far before Kula Diamond and the fire department turned off their flames and they were pulled apart and dragged, bleeding, to separate hospitals.

 _Welp. At least with this whole zombie shit, we're… sorta alright I guess… Not that it's even important to me…_

Iori blinked and focused his vision as best he could. He could still perceive depth, but just barely. The four bright flames were the only light source in the building. His fingers stung and burned as he sustained his fire. It took more effort than he'd like to admit to control the heat. There was a spotlight wandering about outside, Iori could see the white light it flickering back and forth through the bars like a deadly sceptre.

Kyo stood against the wall and peeked out the entrance into the field outside. His speech and movements were rougher and more violent than normal, and Iori was pretty sure he'd gone halfway insane from terror. Iori had no idea what Kyo was scared of, and the guy wouldn't talk, so at this point he was just following directions. Kyo seemed just about unhinged enough to have a psychotic episode if Iori didn't help him take down IKARI. If Kyo decided to attack him, Iori was a good as dead, he was halfway there already.

… _Am I being… coerced… into holding people hostage?... Hm…_

Kyo raised his voice over the crackling flames. Iori shook the thoughts from his head and fixed his rival with his good eye. The IV was running empty, and he was beginning to shake more violently. His breath was growing worryingly shallow. It was as if his lungs were slowly becoming paralyzed.

"Yagami, you said they'd be more. Where are they?"

" _(haah)_... they'll come under… the spotlight… Clark is a careful guy… stay sharp."

"I need your fire."

"Let… _(haah)_... them come… they'll come in…here… "

Four men were on their knees inside the compound. Iori had melted the door down and kidnapped the patrol which had wandered past the building. Bright purple flames encased each man from head to foot like ghastly coffins. The flames were hot, and melted grooves into the concrete, yet the hostages felt no heat. The soldiers trembled as they watched the violent bursting flames; they had seen Iori's pyrokinesis in action before and were well aware of the ghastly fate they entailed.

Iori exhaled and sat down on the cot he had dragged from his cell. He leaned against the back wall kept a steady gaze on the four men. Initially they pleaded with him, they were acquaintances after all and fully expected him to let them go. He'd gone on several campaigns with Ikari's troops at Kagura's behest, and there's nothing like bonding in a foxhole.

There was Dean Marcus, they called him Micky D and he _hated_ the nickname. He was a health freak and wouldn't be associated with the prolific fast food chain. Then there was Oliver Thrall, who never got drunk no matter how many beers he had, and teased Iori endlessly for his low alcohol tolerance. He didn't know the other two guys, but he'd seen them around before. They'd all sorta been assholes, but he was one too, and was right at home with the IKARI soldiers.

So even though Clark - who he didn't know personally - most likely warned the troops to be wary of him, the four guys in this patrol initially thought he'd been joking when he threatened to burn them alive. They'd gone stony faced when they realized he was serious.

 _I think Thrall actually ran Valentin with me… I guess he knows the drill then… but in Valentin, we let the guys go afterwards… damn, this thing we're running... is some fucked up shit…_

The wind howled outside and Iori watched the spotlight wander along the side of the building. Iori had melted the iron door into a puddle and the hot metal flowed into the grass outside, causing it to wither and burn. The wind was whipping up dust and brittle ash and was blowing it everywhere. Iori sneezed and the pain in his gut nearly caused him to lose focus and burn his hostages.

 _Aw shit…_

They had evidently felt the heat and began to panic. Kyo whirled from the doorway to snarl at them. He kneed Micky D in the head and he fell to the ground unconscious. Then he glanced about fearfully, then darted out the doorway. Iori didn't waste his breath asking where he was going.

 _Damn, he's really high strung, huh? Thank god Riot's sleeping. Otherwise… If Kusanagi sees him, then there's gonna be a fight… and I really don't want a fight… not right now at least... haah..._

Thrall panicked and lurched over to Micky's crumpled form. When he turned to look at Iori, his face was hateful. The soldier shouted at him.

"Shit… Shit! Godammit Yagami, what the fuck do you want from us!? We fucking save your asses and you're turning against us? You fucking piece of shit! Let us go! What the hell is wrong with you!"

Iori furrowed his brow and tried to glare. He didn't look very intimidating at all, but he tried anyways. Hell, he was literally carrying his IV around, and it looked like he'd just escaped from the emergency room. Well, it didn't matter. In this case, his weakness was his strength. If he was killed, or shot, fell asleep, or distracted… anything really, he might just lose concentration and his prisoners would be subject to a fiery fate. As long as his enemies knew that - and weren't willing to sacrifice their colleagues - then _Valentin_ would work, and Kyo's goal would be fulfilled. IKARI was like a brotherhood. One for all, all for one. So he and his rival were going to kill them _all._

"... _(haah)..._ Thrall… you know… how I work… _(haah, oh fuck me)_... you taught me… I don't nego…tiate… _(haah)_ "

Thrall knew the drill. He knew it was useless to beg. Thrall was the one who instructed him regarding ' _information extraction'_ from hostages. He even offered tips for dealing with their crying and pleading. Now, Iori was gonna follow his training. He had snapped into the correct mindset. If his war buddies acted up… well, he'd kill them without a moment's hesitation. He hadn't locked his emotions away, no, life would be easier if he could manage that. As always, his temper ran wild, and this time, it was running in Kyo's favour.

This was a simple matter of Iori Yagami's mental hierarchy. The world was divided into two parties. There were ' _his people'_ and ' _not his people'._ He had no friends, he had possessions: ' _his rival_ ', ' _his neighbor_ ', ' _his landlady_ ', ' _himself_ '. Things that weren't his… well, he didn't owe them any obligation. Likewise, he owed IKARI nothing. They were merely an ' _Organization he happened to work with_ '. Thrall and Micky? Just members of that entity. They weren't his, and therefore they were expendable.

 _I've done far worse for Kagura… if Kyo wants me to run Valentin, I can do it. IKARI's like… a couple hundred, but they generally travel in squads of sixteen-ish. 32 people here? Maybe 48… it makes no difference to me… I don't care anymore._

The pain from his cursed flames was spreading numbness through his hands. His hands were shaking, the trembling was getting worse. The IV bag had run empty, but Iori dared not extract it. With the state his hands were in, he feared he would tear his vein open if he tried to remove the needle. Whatever was in there kept his lungs working and his hands from shaking. Would he suffocate without it? Only time would tell. He was beginning to feel light headed from lack of oxygen. The world was moving in slow motion.

 _I wonder what was in that IV… (haaah)… what the hell is wrong with me… (haah)… (haaah)…_

Thrall hadn't yet realized they were enemies. He still thought he could convince his way out of this situation. He raised his voice and attempted a lecture, but Iori stared coldly at him. He was so tired, he couldn't even get himself angry, but he was too torn up to feel bad about hurting people.

"Hey come on, man. Don't be a hardass and stop playing games. Aren't we fri-" Iori blinked. " _Oh God! Oh shit! Stop it! Lory you fucker, Stoop! Guaaaa!_ "

Iori blinked again and reigned in the flames. Thrall was doubled over and gasping for breath. It took only a split seconds for the flames to inflict second degree burns all over his body. He held his burns and gnashed his teeth at him.

"Oh, sorry Thrall… _(haah)..._ I got startled by your voice… you know, _I'm a timid guy_ … …( _haah_ )... if you start acting up… or fire a gun or something… ( _haah_ )... It's your fault for scaring me, you can't really blame me… for… _(haaah)... (haah)... shit..._ "

"Sonovabitch… YOU FU-"

Iori blinked.

There was a flash of purple light.

Then, only three figures remained.

* * *

 _So Yag's full of Sarin rn. If you recall from forever ago, There are 2 components that make sarin deadly. The first is the poisonous qualities. (Ikari shot the guys up with the poison antidote - atropine- already, so he's not gonna die from that) The second quality is the nerve toxin portion. Looks like it's got his left side - left eye, left arm, shaking like he's got parkinsons etc... and his diaphragm._

 _The diaphragm is the muscle that allows you to breathe. (antidote for nerve part is :_ _pralidoxime)_ _that's the stuff in his IV. he's run out. :0_

 _poor yag. Kyo, watch out for bby pls._

 _lol jk. Kyo's prowling around like a coked out velociraptor._

 _cheers_


	28. Battleship

_Do you like Valentin?_

 _Also CrayKyo is back at it, hehe._

* * *

The night was black.

The wind was howling, and the sound of the helicopter pounded in his ears. The blast of air from the blades whipped up the dry grass and caused it to fly every which way. The spotlight wandered about, illuminating whatever it touched with glaring white light. A group of men jogged forward, the spotlight followed them about.

 _Four… no, five…_

Kyo Kusanagi crouched in the shadow of the building. He pressed his shoulder against the wall and peeked out from behind the corner. The air was cold and dry, and caused his throat to itch. The wind was drying out his eyes, and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He breathed softly and moved very slowly, careful not to draw attention.

 _That helicopter is trouble… what do I do about it…_

Iori was somewhere behind him. He was probably still sitting on that cot rambling to the hostages. Kyo was certain there wasn't something quite right about his rival, but didn't dwell on it. They were going to die soon, so it didn't matter if he couldn't breathe. As long as he kept the fire up until Kyo returned, he'd done his job. He could go ahead and suffocate afterwards. It'd be better than dying on a lab table, that's for sure.

 _He saved me from NESTS all those years ago… and all I can do is make sure he never experiences what IKARI has in store for him. I'll kill him myself if we lose and they catch us. It's the least I can do… but we won't lose! I just need to get rid of the helicopter._

Kyo didn't care who was in the aircraft, it could be full of women and children, and it was coming down. Once it got into range, he'd blow the engine- or wherever he thought the engine would be. Kyo wasn't particularly good with precision long range combat, his flames grew weaker the further he cast them. He could probably light a candle from a mile, but even that would take a lot of effort. He intended on randomly popping flames inside where the thought the gas tank would be. If he just broke the engine instead, then more power to him, he'd take the helicopter's occupants as hostages as well. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

 _If I take it down without blowing it up, then we'll have… how many people man a helicopter? Three?_

Strangely, Iori didn't care that his plan entailed killing his friends. It was pretty obvious that he knew the hostages. Perhaps he was even close with them. The poor bastards had even laughed and patted him affectionately when he first captured them. Kyo was initially worried that Iori would betray him and spare his ' _friends'_ from operation Valentin. They really were about to do something awful, and, although Kyo never took his rival for a sentimental man, anyone could shrink from such a task. Iori could do some really extreme things for people he considered friends, ' _His people', whatever…_ He could kill, lie and betray. If Iori decided to deceive him, then there was nothing Kyo could do.

Whatever worries Kyo had were immediately banished by the look of frigid indifference in Iori's eyes. It was like he snapped into a completely different mindset and just turned off whatever little bit of mercy he had. Hell, he looked like a fucking executioner. Like this was routine for him. Like he's killed hundreds of-... _uh._

 _Well, I guess this isn't really that crazy for him… I mean, Iceland was bad, but Yagami's done a lot more even after that… well, better him than Chiz._

It all started with Chizuru. The lady was far too ambitious for her own good. Well, she did run the _entire_ pharmaceutical industry, so it'd worked out for her, but Kyo never thought such a kind woman could get so scary. The moment she extracted him and Iori from the Brazilian coastline, she began making serious plans to destroy NESTS. The only reason Kyo even learned about them, was Chizuru ran them by him - as he had been involved in the fighting.

 _She actually had both Heidern and Maxima on the line, when she told me about it…_

For whatever reason, she was extremely angry about the whole NESTS thing. Initially she didn't tell him anything, as she didn't want to trigger bad memories, but Kyo was curious. Once he got her started, he regretted it immediately. She had gone on and on about how NESTS needed to be punished for their crimes, and how they couldn't be forgiven for doing such a thing to the ' _Kusanagi sword',_ and how they were probably in cahoots with the Orochi clan, and _yadda yadda…_ From the way she acted, one would think _she_ was the one who was captured and experimented on.

 _It was annoying as hell, but honestly, it was nice that somebody was on my side… Listening to someone rant to you about your own problems is kinda therapeutic.. but I guess she was so mad, she got a little crazy… she just talks herself into stuff… Good thing I made her tell me, or she'd probably be dead already._

Kyo had been locked in Kagura Pharmaceuticals research laboratory-turned-hospital for two months. He was extremely grateful for the treatment, but he was subject to Chizuru nearly talking his ear off. Kyo was becoming so sick of it that he encouraged her to go and bash them to death with her mirror. After that, she left him alone.

For about a week.

 _Nuts… Both of them! Yagami and Kagura, off their rockers, just over the rainbow… but really, when the sky is falling, I want those two at my side._

Chizuru returned eight days later with a shattered shoulder, a pocketful of bloody NESTS badges, and the look of victory in her eyes. She had the badges framed and hung on the laboratory wall, then immediately began sharing plans for the next base she had her sights on. Kyo had freaked out. _Chizuru Kagura_ , billionaire Pharma Giant, had put on a helmet, picked up a gun, and caught a bullet in the shoulder for _him_. Dammit! If only the entire Kusanagi clan had a fifth of this woman's mettle! _Bunch of lowlives…_

Naturally, Kyo tried to talk Chizuru out of going down for a second run, but she was terribly stubborn. Apparently her abilities were ' _Necessary on the battlefield, Kusanagi. Did you think the Mirror wasn't a tool of war? No. The Sword, the Magatama, the Mirror, our job is to keep Orochi sealed. If NESTS will get in the way of that, they must be destroyed. You understand the importance don't you? etc...'_

Welp, Chizuru's mind was already set, and Kyo was left scrambling for his phone to convince Iori to fight in her stead. Even _Iori_ realized that Chizuru's new passion would lead to her untimely death. He dropped a tour to fill her place on the battlelines.

 _He's got instinct. He won't get shot… hell, Chiz only survived with pure, dumb luck… she seriously could've died right there… shit! Haha, what would we do then!? I'm glad he agreed, and I'm glad he wouldn't let her come along… We can't lose Chiz. Everything would go to shit without her. I kinda miss her…_

Kyo shook his head clear of thoughts, then focused on the task at hand. The men weren't the problem. Soon they'll wander down to where Iori was, and he'd hopefully hop out and capture them, then… _wait, what's next? How does this stop them from dropping poison gas on us?... Oh yeah, hostages…heh, I swear my head's not working right..._

Something about 'Valentin', this hostage operation Heidern ran once. They were trying to get information on a NESTS boss' identity or something and nobody was talking. These guys were super loyal to each other, so they'd rather burn than talk. Iori said he'd shredded three of them before Heidern decided to change tactics.

Valentin. The strategy that capitalized on loyalty and selflessness. Kyo hadn't paid much attention, but Iori had elaborated something about collecting about fifty gang members and putting a flame on all of them. Heidern set three guys aside and questioned them, while the rest were subject to a slow burn. Apparently, the three question-ees couldn't stand the sight and sounds of their fellows being burnt alive, and started talking immediately.

 _So, it's just a matter of collecting people. Iori says there's probably 20 to 40 IKARI here. Once they know we've got… 4… 5, three from the helicopter if the survive… 12 of their guys, a good portion of their group, they won't gas the place…_

But since Kyo's goal was to murder everyone, there would be no questioning. They were just gonna collect people and start demanding stuff with the promise to release the hostages upon delivery. Whoever came to fulfill requests would be added to the hostage group. If they stopped taking requests, then the group would be put on slow burn with the radio on. Iori had insisted IKARI wouldn't let their guys be tortured like that, so once everyone arrived… well, it _was_ 4000 degrees. Only Kula Diamond could survive heat like that without a built-in immunity.

 _Nasty… but it'll get the job done. Damn, is this the kind of stuff Yagami does in his spare time? I know it's war, but jeez._

Well, nothing mattered. For all he cared he was already a dead man. But even dead, he and Iori Yagami would leave their mark on this world. They'd triumph over IKARI like they've triumphed over every obstacle they'd ever faced together. Then they would die in blood and glory. It'd be a good legacy. _Bye Yuki…_

Kyo quelled his thoughts, released a long breath, and fixed his sights on the approaching helicopter.

 _It's time to end this._

* * *

 _*Major… what was that?*_

Ralf Jones frowned as the Chinook rocked. Leona was in the hanger with a gas mask and several canisters of tear gas. The soldiers on patrol were similarly equipped. Best case scenario, Patrol Alpha 5 had spotted Iori poking his head out a window, and stopped by for a chat. Unfortunately, the fact Iori wasn't currently insulting people over the radio, pretty much ruled out that possibility.

The helicopter rocked again… _is he throwing rocks? I mean, the guys did say he's kinda crazy, but really…_

The engine light flashed up on his dashboard.

Critical Failure.

 _What?_

 _Are you kidding?_

 _*Major!?*_

"Leona! Emergency landing, NOW. Strap in and brace! We're going down."

 _*Yes, Sir!*_

* * *

 _* Yanno, after Mastermind, I can make Chiz just the sweetest angel, and nobody will accuse me of making her a flat character haha. Without MM, all you readers would be saying, "She's brave and kind and rich and kinda boring." But with MM in the continuity, the reasonable conclusion is " She fought a battle knowing Kyo and Iori wouldn't let her continue. She took one risk (with Heidern and K' group backing her) in order that KYO convinces YAG to do her dirty work hehe... She's got the guys wrapped around her pinkies. (but has balls of steel yeboi. devilmom FTW)"_

 _* ok: Summary time. For my own sanity really. Strap in. (1-6)_

 _Ch1: (Day 1, Morning) Kyo wakes up in middle of Zombie Apocalypse (American vacation lol). Talks about OldMan, and how some teenage thugs attacked him. Kyo thinks the thugs were druggies cuz they were acting weird, but they got their blood on OldMan, and OldMan got zombified. His will caved and he started attacking people. Terry Texts Kyo, telling him to go meet with Yag to get out of the city. Also Military is there to kill people, so don't ask them for help_

 _Ch2: (Day 1, Evening) Kyo travelled via rooftop all day. Breaks into apartment and raids the fridge and showers. Tries to sleep, but the zombified occupants of the house are banging their heads against the wall. They need to sleep at night too, and force of routine drives them back home. Kyo gets pissed, thinks about how much he hates Yagami, then eventually goes halfway crazy and calls him to rant. Yag agrees to pick Kyo up._

 _Ch3: (Day 1, Evening) Iori gets off the phone and is kinda confused as to why he's helping Kyo. [Note, this story takes place a little over a year after Yag riots and almost kills Kyo. There is a KOF tourney between Riot incident and MOS]. Starts driving and thinks about his neighbor - OldMan, and how he asked Riot to kill a ton of zombies cuz he was so pissed. He rolls up to where Kyo is, and Riot takes over._

 _Ch4: (Day 1, Evening) Kyo sits on the windowsill and yells at Riot until Iori comes back. Yag's all torn to shit, (thanks to riot) and Kyo thinks he's infected, but at least he's better than the zombies in the apt. They hop in the car. Kyo makes a mom joke and Iori almost kills him, then they hit some zombie lady carrying her kid's corpse. (Also thanks to riot)._

 _Ch5: (Day 1, Evening) Yag contemplates how the Zombie mom seemed to have some vestiges of intelligence. That she actually came after him in revenge - not mindless zombie whatevers. He's trying to surpress the thought that these guys are literally just civilians, and they're concious of what they're doing, and trying to stop it. Yag burns ZombieMom's corpse then gets punched by Kyo. He goes to the barber's shop and rips a hole in the wall and has himself a cry session - during which time he hears a new voice that wants him to eat [bite] people [Kyo]. They drive to Yag's house, Kyo sleeps in the car, and gets tossed into bed. Yag leaves._

 _Ch6: (Day 1, Evening) Iori runs down to the hospital cuz he's got this nasty cut on his side. During his run, he decides that he doesn't need to worry about all the shit that's going on in his head, or the guilt he's feeling from sending riot to kill all his zombefied neighbors. Spends some time trying to convince himself zombies aren't people. Then decides he doesn't care if they're people or not. He's just gonna kill them anyways. (yay. shithead) Goes to hospital, meets 'Glasses' who somehow knows he's infected. Stands in a stairwell with a swat team about to snipe him. Instinct saves his ass, and he runs outside and climbs the building like spiderman. Hops down, kills 4 guys, the last guy- Dimas- tells him he's infected and tries to ram him with the jeep. Iori runs off into the night with medical supplies. Dimas reports him to Army, and they start hunting him down._

 _* lol not doing all this shit rn. cya later._


	29. Trifecta

_Straight week of transition chapters?_

meh.

* * *

Her teeth seemed to freeze as she hissed the icy air from between them. Her breath sounded loud and hoarse in the oxygen mask. She had no difficulty breathing, but the noise caused her to consciously suck air. She grumbled something aloud, although she knew the pilot couldn't hear her. _Annoying._

Chizuru Kagura had just been bullied. No, humiliated. Nobody, _nobody,_ dared demand anything of her. She was the boss, she gave the orders, and she didn't appreciate it when someone flipped the status quo. There wasn't a person on earth who could pressure her… well, perhaps the only exceptions were her two fellow sacred treasures, but they thought she was their fairy godmother, so nothing sinister came from them. _Dammit!_ If Heidern didn't have Kyo and Iori caged up and under his thumb, he would have no leverage over her.

But he did, and he'd threatened to kill them, so she caved. Chizuru maintained a cold exterior for the sake of business, but she cared deeply for Kyo and Iori's well-beings. All three of them had gone to great lengths for one other, and she regarded them as, well... not _quite_ family but something close.

Regardless of history or motivation, the fact remained. She would rescue them. They were being kept prisoner by that damn mercenary crew, and if her cooperation didn't free them, then she would fight. It took three minutes to prepare a teleport, thirty seconds to create mirror copies, and an hour to make a fully functional, savagely violent doppleganger of a person. All expended significant energy, but could be prepared beforehand within a reasonable timeframe. The mirror had other abilities, but the rest were moreso geared toward manipulation, sealing and trickery. She planned to use every power she had. As she sat in the passenger seat of the jet-fighter, she plotted. To her, only two things mattered, to repossess the full trio of sacred treasures, and to recompense Heidern for the humiliation offered her.

She leaned back into the bucket seats, focused on her mirror, and got to work.

* * *

Leona stumbled from the aircraft, coughing. Smoke billowed outwards from the downed helicopter and was immediately whipped away by the stinging winds, but the brief moments it took her to unstrap herself from the seats and stumble outside were enough to cause her lungs to burn and ache.

"Major! Ralf?!"

The crash had rattled her. When she hopped from the cockpit onto the field, she felt the impact travel up through her knees and into her hips. There was a gash on her forearm, it didn't feel deep enough to need stitches, but it proved uncomfortable. Her thermal goggles weren't working so she tossed them aside and continued calling. It was dark as death without the helicopter's spotlight.

"Ralf! Major Jones! Are you hurt?! Is anyone there?"

Strange for the helicopter to go down. They were in their _own_ military compound for crying out loud! This should be their place of safety… how could this happen? Was there an enemy shooter in their midst? _But who? And why attack us in out home base while surrounded by allies?_ Perhaps someone was conspiring with the Sacred treasures, or against them? Or did one of them somehow find a rifle and get a lucky shot?

 _There might be more than two potential dangers… Well, Iori shouldn't be able to move much, but best not to discount him…_

"Ralf! Ralf!"

She stayed low to the ground, ready to spring at the sound of a gunshot. She knew the empty field had little protection, and if the shooter had nighttime, or thermal, goggles she was a sitting duck. But there was nowhere to hide. She needed to find her colleague.

"Major!"

She could make out a muffled voice travelling through the wind. It was very probable both were shouting just metres away from each other, but unable to hear. The atlantic wind really was something.

"Leona! Over here!"

 _Thank god._

It was dark and Leona had trouble pinpointing his voice through the howling wind. She felt along the wreck until, she came to the other side. The crash had caused a small fire to start in the tail-end of the Helicopter. Leona was so appreciative of the light, and the sight of her fellow soldier, that she didn't stop to consider how unnatural the bright flame was.

"Oy, Leo! If that arm's okay, phone in the rescue patrol. My radio got fucked."

Ralf shouted at her over the blasting wind.

"Yes, Sir. "

She pulled out her radio and called-in the five man rescue party that accompanied them from the ground. When they crashed, the spotlight was crushed and Leona lost sight of her grounded allies. They took cover behind the helicopter as she waited for the other line to buzz in. She shouted at Ralf as the wind whipped her hair.

"Ralf, is there a shooter?!"

"Don't think so!"

"How? It's not easy to take on a Chinook?"

"Throwing Rocks, maybe? Nobody else on Compound."

Leona frowned in doubt. The radio buzzed in, Leona pressed her ear against the speaker and shouted into the receiver.

"This is Leona and Jones! Give us your location!"

* _static… you fucking… da-... static… Leona? Oh thank god, go back and te-_ *

Suddenly Leona was blinded. Bright light blazed forth from all around her. The radio crackled and melted in her hands. She quickly dropped it before it burned her. She turned wildly to her collegue, only to find Ralf was… _on fire._

"LEONA! ARE YOU BURNING?"

… _am I… oh no… it's Kusanagi… but I thought he was the peaceful one…_

"No… ack!"

Something burned at her back, forcing her to step forward to avoid it. Ralf was feeling the same heat. Leona didn't see Kyo anywhere, but this was obviously his power. She was keenly reminded that Kyo was every bit as deadly as Iori, just that his temperament was generally much more cordial. _What's going on?_

The fire on their heels forced them to walk. They approached the corner of the prison and rounded it. The wind whipped wildly at the flames, and Leona hoped they would extinguish them. Of course, it was a vain hope. The fire was unnatural and grew more powerful as they drew nearer to the source. By the time they approached the open doorway, they were _blazing_.

And so was everyone else…

* * *

"You're being unreasonable! IKARI doesn't even have a research division?! How-"

"I don't care! I don't fucking care! Hell if I believe you!"

Kyo snarled at her and she fell silent as the flames scorched at her fingertips. After a moment, the burning stopped and Leona gasped. He glared at her then stuck his head out the doorway to look about. She sighed.

 _What did we do wrong?!_

There were ten of them. Ten hostages. Three from the initial team, five from the rescue, Ralf and herself. Thrall was dead. Each of them had been fixed in place with either a purple or orange flame. Kyo was hyperactively scurrying about and checking for more troops. His flames blazed strongly. Iori was significantly worse for wear. He looked dead tired and Leona could hear his labored breathing from where she sat. She thought she saw his eyes roll back into his head a couple of times, but luckily he regained control before anyone burned. Although the purple flames were thin and weak, all were well aware of the damage they could do. They were melting grooves into the concrete, so nobody doubted their power. Iori, even in the state he was in, was no less threatening than his rival.

 _It's not supposed to be this way… what's happening!_

Leona looked upon the white dust on the floor and mourned. Her _stupid, stupid_ decision had led to the death of Oliver Thrall. It was almost unbelievable, the situation. Ikari had rescued the Sacred Treasures with nothing but good intentions in mind. Sure, her ' _crush' - whatever,_ played a … large part in her decision to chase after them, but … _gah!_ She dropped her head and gritted her teeth. This was a risk IKARI didn't need to take, but they took it at her request. Now they were paying for it.

 _Kyo and Iori… they could probably handle whatever the US had in store for them without our help. They took on Iceland! Just the two of them! They don't need our help, we ask for theirs! Your stupid idea killed a good man… damn, I can't believe Iori killed Oliver! I thought they were friends!_

She curled up and rested her chin on her knees. Orange flames burst from her on all sides. Kyo had gone outside again, Iori was sitting on the cot a few feet from her, he was staring listlessly over the hostages and his chest heaved with obvious effort. He didn't seem to be watching anyone in particular and his eyes were glazed. Perhaps he had killed Oliver by accident? He didn't seem too focused, the nerve gas had messed him up pretty badly.

 _Why am I making excuses for him?... ugh…_

She stood and gingerly approached, testing to see to what extent the flames would let her move. She got to the foot of the cot before she needed to stop.

"Iori..."

She called out tentatively to him, careful not to startle. After a moment, he turned his head to look at her. From the angle he had to twist, it was obvious his left eye wasn't seeing. He just watched her tiredly, waiting to hear what she had to say. She cast Thrall from her mind and fought to keep her tone steady. She spoke in English such that the rest of her group could understand.

"Do you remember me? I'm Leona. I'm a fan. "

A nod. He emitted a sad chuckle then mouthed the word ' _sorry'_.

"... sorry? Why? What's going to happen..."

He seemed to deflate. After a moment he tapped his throat, laid a gnarled hand over his stomach and went back into that listless state. He didn't look like he was particularly invested in this venture, and maybe Leona could sway him, or otherwise force him to divulge some information to her. Maybe she could convince him to let his hostages go, perhaps even fight on their side.

"Iori, if you let us use the radio I can get a medical team over for you. Just let… let Micky over there go, and he'll phone in. We can help, alright?... I don't know what Kusanagi told you, but we're not here to hurt you. I promise."

Nobody spoke for a while. Even the normally bombastic Ralf was sitting against the wall glaring at nothing. The Rescue Patrol had freaked out when they saw what were the supposed remains of Oliver Thrall, and had been beaten into silent - in some cases, unconscious - submission by Kyo. Ralf was subject to the same treatment and was wearing a black eye and a couple of burns. It seemed that both treasures were capable of maintaining their flames without a direct line of sight, but needed one for ignition purposes- _that's why he lit up the tail of the helicopter… so he could see us._

The red-haired man turned, almost laboriously, to look at her again. She felt bitterness in her chest as she regarded him. Where was that fearsome man who cared for and feared no one? She had only ever seen him standing on his feet, tall, strong, and usually laughing. Someone who suffered the same Orochi curse that she did could romp about like the freest person on earth, and she aspired to that. To have enough inner strength to laugh at her own demons and do whatever she wanted, regardless of who or what stood in her way. _Freedom!_

Maybe he saw the pity in her face, or perhaps he guessed what she was thinking, but he laughed aloud. The normal richness of his voice was gutted, and it sounded more like choking. The sad expression was consumed by a twist of violence on his features, and he spoke to her in a half-snarl.

"Who… _(haah)..._ would you believe?... you have no… right… _(haah)_... to pity me."

A murmur ran through the troops. Leona gritted her teeth and tried again. At least he was willing to talk to her. Once she found out what they wanted, they could get their guys of of this situation. _Strange that they haven't demanded anything yet… what are they waiting for?_

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. I simply assumed that you were seeking medical attention. What do you need, surely you're holding us for some purpose."

A growl devolved into hacking. When he finished, there was blood in his palm. He seemed a bit more animated, although still short of breath. He patted his stomach and added a red stain in the bandages.

"This was… _(haah)..._ your… doing… don't speak… _(haah)..._ anymore."

To that, Leona had no response.

* * *

Riot tattled on Leona. She kicked him in the guts way back when.

Velociraptor Kyo still at it

Devilmom joins the fray. (Smash Bros music)

Summaries:

Ch7: Kyo wakes up in Iori's Apartment. Starts breaking stuff and goes outside. Realizes Iori killed a ton of his neighbors and gets really mad at him for it. Breaks everything else in the apartment. Decides he's gonna leave Yag to die and get out of the place. Steals his Mustang and leaves the apt. Meanwhile, Iori's spent the evening Rioting. Kyo can tell where Iori is (proximity) by the burning in his blood. ie) Orochi Radar. It detects Iori, Leona, and Hakkeshu. But the signal is really diffuse right now and Kyo is sorta confused by it.

Ch8: Kyo's driving around in Iori's car, drinking his beer and feeling good. He almost kills a zombie dude and the guy flips him off. Kyo is reminded that the Zombies are actually concious and starts feeling bad. Then he freaks out again about how Iori killed his neighbors, and decides he'll kill him if he encounters him. He recognizes the burning in his blood is saying Yag is really closeby and stops the car to fight him. Yag's nowhere to be found and instead the car gets mobbed by screaming zombies who want to eat him. He starts running people over. A sniper punches a hole through the roof of his car, and he turns into a small alleyway to avoid. Riot throws a stopsign at the helicopter.

Ch9: Three US military dudes in Helicopter. They're on recon and see T1- which is Yag, cuz he killed Dimas's team. They designate Kyo as T2 after he sets stuff on fire and decide to bail cuz they can't snipe them and Mango doesnt wanna machine gun the civilians. Mention that a Private Military Company is stepping in (IKARI)

Ch10: Riot is killing people. He reflects on how the 'King' (as in, the strongest guy in Iori's head) sent him out to do a job and that he needs to finish before he comes back. Also he's collecting ppls earrings. Ikari prepare to fly to ST to do some biological sample extraction for US army.

Ch11: Kyo shouts at the retreating helicopter, burns some people, and gets cut when he punches a hole through the mustang's windowpane. He originally thinks he got bitten and does 100% freakout until he realizes its just glass. Kyo notices 2 things concerning the Zombies behavior. 1) Iori is higher priority than he is. 2) The zombies say 'eat' when hunting him. 'kill' when hunting Iori. Kyo watches Riot fight, and realizes that it's not Iori at all cuz the fighting style is so different. Gets ready to duke it out and kill Yag.

Ch12: They fight. Kyo figures out Riot's fight-style and is about to punch off Yag's head when Iori takes over and saves his own ass. Accuses Kyo of stealing his car.

Ch13: Kyo's driving Iori back home, and just laying it on thick. He's really pissed and spends half the chapter just tearing yag a new one. When he gets around to yelling at Iori for teamkilling, Yag apologizes. They're okay after that.

HAPPY 2019 BROOS


	30. The Brave and The Kind

_More crazy_

Hey. So although I sometimes like to talk philosophy, I'd like to reassure you readers that I'm actually fairly shallow. :)

Happy new years dudes. 2019 yeet.

* * *

"What do you think you're doing, Army Girl?"

Leona was startled at his entrance and jumped. She had been kneeled at the corner of Yagami's cot, trying to convince him of something. She was speaking English so Kyo didn't know what she said, but he had caught the word ' _Help',_ so he had a good idea. Iori had turned toward her such that his cheek was pressed against the cold concrete walls. He was listening to her - if only to keep himself awake. He greeted Kyo with a glance and a slight nod.

"K-Kusanagi!... um."

Leona scrambled to her feet and stepped back. She seemed equal parts fearful and angry. She was helpless in this situation and she seemed to know it. Her sole paths of escape were either appeasing her captors, or her own death. Nothing could fight this little trap Iori had set up. Whoever had originally concocted it must've been some sort of genius, because Kyo couldn't think of any way to rescue the hostages - outside of Kula Diamond appearing out of the blue and turning off all the fire.

Kyo blinked and felt his eyelids tug on his eyes. They ached. The air was cold, dry and bitterly stinging. There was neither moon nor stars out, the only light in the dark night was his and his rival's flames. He crunched through the dry grass, stepped up into the concrete flooring and leaned against the threshold of the doorway. He crossed his arms over his chest and breathed heavily through his nose. He fidgeted as he watched the soldiers in the room. Ten highly trained soldiers looked back at him.

"Are you trying to turn Yagami against me?"

He received a cold stare in response. That made him jittery. Who knew what these guys could do. They were soldiers, trained in the art of warfare. They thrived in a world that Kyo had only dabbled in. These weren't soft people, they were a brutally efficient machine that even Iori Yagami was keen to take caution against. He needed to be careful as well… as careful as he could manage. He was beside himself with anger and he seemed to be doing things without thinking about them beforehand. His mind was hopping back and forth and everything was a blur.

 _What sort of bullshit have they got planned… Iori won't betray me… no… he won't…_

Kyo had just come back from checking the perimeter of the building. There were no more troops deployed after them- he had lit up the night in his search - so he returned to the room where Iori was watching the hostages. He had stomped his way through the night, wreathed in cracking flames and searing the grass. The wind howled uselessly at his fiery armour and his blood coursed thick and strong through his veins. He was feeling strong. _Powerful._ He had one goal, he had fixed his mind on it beforehand, and he would accomplish it by _any and all means._ At this moment, he was could do anything. He could kill anyone. He could burn down the sky. His conscience had been silenced in the face of indescribable rage, and without those bonds… _well._ He could fight without a care in the world.

 _The world will marvel…_

Maybe Leona and the hostages could see something of his thoughts on his face, because they looked at him with a mixture of fear and disgust. Well, he didn't care what _they_ thought. All he needed was Yagami's cooperation - or at the very least, a vow of neutrality. If Iori Yagami didn't fight _against_ him, then he had the absolute advantage. He looked at the red-haired man and observed him carefully, searching to see if Leona's words had any impact on him. He was reassured by an unusual hardness in his rival's expression. No, Iori had promised to fight at his side, he would follow through. He'd always been a reliable guy.

 _He won't betray me. That Yagami's a piece of work, but he's got my back. He always does._

Kyo nodded at his rival and continued in his fevered imaginings. He stepped into the room and approached the Radio laying on the floor. The rescue patrol were carrying it, and he had intentionally kept it intact. It was necessary to operation Valentin.

 _The plan… I need to carry out the plan… i can do it…_

He could do it.

He could do it because there was nothing holding him back.

No longer was he worried about keeping his opponents alive. No longer did he need to consider the public's sentiment, or the opinions of his family, or the ramifications of the law, or the damage to his own person, or _anything._ He was free. Free to do what he wanted. Free to fight like he was born to. Free to fight like a wild, savage beast.

The world was a witch, fickle and vain. It bound people up in fear and lies and ideas and institutions. It controlled the thoughts of the whole human race. How many men's lives are consumed in the pursuit of riches? Of fame? _Of_ _Glory! Dignity! Legacy! Useless! Useless! Useless! It's garbage in the face of death!_

He was on his deathbed. What did he care for? In his final hour, could he break free from those chains the bound him his entire life? The fetters which had been forged for him by his family, his friends, his society, his world? Could he break them? _Did he have the guts to?_

He did.

Of course he did! He was a Kusanagi! His blood was liquid valour! The blade embedded in his chest was the unbreakable symbol of bravery. He would do things nobody dared to do. He would believe things nobody dared believe. Leona had built a strong case - and maybe a lesser man would have caved to her bewitching words of ' _friendship'_ , but not Kyo Kusanagi. No, he had no argument to her lies, and no evidence to prove her otherwise, but he wouldn't give in. His gut was telling him she was the enemy, so she was. When he finally destroyed NEST-... IKARI, all the facts would come to light and he'd be justified.

 _They're evil. I know it. Even if there's no evidence to back me up I'll do it. I'll chase my dreams… hehe, is this what it means to 'believe in yourself?'... hahaha…._

He was brave. Brave enough to believe in himself, to take what he knew to be true and run with it against all odds. He'd be like the movie heroes, the type who would cut through all the lies and _bullshit_ and reach the other end. When he had finally slaughtered his way through the NESTS troops, then he could die fulfilled.

 _My final moment..._

Finally, those who had dare lay hold of him would feel his wrath. They'd finally understand exactly _who_ they messed with. For six long months, he'd been a shivering, half-lucid lab rat. They probably laughed at him, laughed at his apparent weakness and felt self-satisfied with at his subjugation.

 _Fuck them! Fuck them!_

So, Kyo Kusanagi would show them. As they died, they would feel terror and regret. They would cry and scream and plead, and their despair would heal him. Their suffering would make him whole.

 _Courage! God hates cowardice!_

His bravery would hold him aloft. His courage would drive his goal. His valor would drive it home. He knew what had to be done, and he would see it through with a cold efficiency. Kyo raised his head and looked over his hostages with renewed strength in his heart. He smiled at them, and they glared back. This time he wasn't nervous. He was unafraid.

 _My soul stands tall and proud despite the bludgeonings upon my head. I'll fix my eyes upon the goal, and upon that path I'll tread… goodnight!_

NESTS was going to fall.

 _The Brave Man_ , would destroy them.

* * *

"Yagami! Please. We did nothing to hurt you! We had pure intentions. Even the-"

"Don't care… _(haah) ..._ Be quiet or… I'll take your tongue."

Leona fell silent. She was scared, but she fought not to show it. There was a note of panic in her voice and the tinge of despair in her eye. That same look reflected on the faces of nine men who were scattered about the floor. She stared pleadingly at him, and he met her gaze with a leveled coldness. Well, as leveled as he could manage. He could only see out of his right eye, and he didn't know what his left was doing. For all he knew it was spinning circles. Hell, were his eyes even pointing in the same direction? _I must look like some sort of autist…_

No wonder Leona was trying to get to him. He probably looked like hell, he sure felt like it. Did he look like he was about to fold? Just up and abandon Kusanagi for a new IV and some painkillers? _Insulting._ Sure, Leona could probably help him immensely if he betrayed Kyo and joined IKARI's side. Additionally, he _knew_ IKARI were actually there to help them. Heidern was well aware of the Orochi threat and would never injure them intentionally. Iori had known the soldiers for some time already and knew they were telling the truth. They weren't malicious, and didn't expect him to be either. They thought he was joking.

So, to prove his loyalty, he killed Oliver Thrall.

 _The world is crazy anyways. Poor Thrall. Heh… ugh._

He'd been delirious ever since he woke up. It didn't help that before he could even asses where he was, Kyo kicked his cot over and began droning about how IKARI were actually a NESTS branch that were going to do experiments on them. These were things Iori knew to be objectively false and he intended on giving his rival a hard time, just to mess with him.

 _The guy's nuts… completely off his rocker… I can relate._

Kyo wasn't open to messing around though. He was completely serious. He had set his mind on battling IKARI, and requested Iori's help. The threat was veiled, but Iori had known his rival for a long time. A failure to assist would be seen as a betrayal, and would be dealt with accordingly.

Kyo didn't _really_ need to threaten him though. Didn't he know who he was? Kyo was _his_ rival - Kusanagi blood belonged to him and him alone. Nobody had the right to spill it save himself. Anyone who dared tread on his territory - _outside sporting events, of course -_ would be cut down swiftly and remorselessly.

Years of this, _rather obsessive behavior,_ had made a certain impact in Iori's psyche. He wasn't actually aware of it, it was more of a feeling or direction that he followed. Perhaps if Chizuru peeked in his mind, she would see it clearly, but he spent no time trying to sort himself out. He'd long resigned his mind to chaos. There were too many people in his head.

All he knew was this, there were two groups of people on the earth. Those that were his, those that were not. Iori was good to his people - no, not _nice,_ not _gentle,_ he was good. He would kill for those that belonged to him. He would suffer for their sakes. Nobody else mattered when it came to them. Their blood was precious in his sight.

He would scorn the world for them. He had done it before. Down in Brazil, for the sake of one man - Iori Yagami had taken the lives of two thousand. He had become the most prolific killer on the face of the planet, and he had done so for the sake of _goodness_. His benevolence ravaged lives like the plague. He had done it willingly and with clear intention.

Did guilt consume him? Did he hear the cries and screams of the NESTS employees and the poor experiments for months afterwards? _Yes._

Would he do it again? _Absolutely/_

After all, that's what goodness is all about, right? No, it was the purest form of benevolence - to stand shoulder to shoulder with a fellow man, and take all his burdens upon yourself. His enemies become your enemies, his battles become yours. To place him on a pedestal and say, ' _You are more worthy than the rest'_ and crush his enemies beneath your heels _._ Then, when all was said and done, to expect nothing in return. _That_ was true goodness.

What other goodness existed in the world? A mild kindness to whoever crossed your path? _Humph,_ False, shallow and inherently self-serving. Nothing comes from that sort of behavior besides for a brief bump in social status. _Weak stuff._ He was Iori Yagami, possessor of the Yakasani jewel, Heir to the Yagami clan, goodness ran in his veins. A false benevolence was an insult to his lineage and a betrayal of his blood. The Yagami clan had always been known for its seemingly excessive violence, but the world didn't understand. The world didn't need to. The Yagami didn't care about the world, it only cared about it's own. It's kindness was displayed with fevered devotion, and those who benefited _knew_ where their blessings derived from.

 _Everyone else can lay down and die._

If Chizuru Kagura told him someone tried to hurt her, he hunted that person down and killed them and their family. He didn't ask for proof, the thought that Chizuru would lie had never crossed his mind. Chizuru belonged to him, so the lives of the ' _others'_ were worthless before her. In fact, if she had simply asked him to kill someone - with no reason supplied- he'd probably do it. She must have had a reason and forgot to tell him. After all ' _His People_ ' didn't lie.

Kyo Kusanagi was at the top of Iori's mental hierarchy. He didn't know why, he didn't even know he had a ' _mental hierarchy'._ Things just sort of played out, and he followed what his mind supplied. There was no sense in the world anyways, so he followed the rule in his blood. He had unconsciously declared possession of Kyo Kusanagi and harassed him for the next eight years, during which time they had beaten each other silly.

Neither of them realized they were friends until Kyo was mysteriously captured and Iori's obsession drove him to rescue. They still had trouble admitting that strange friendship, but it was there- real as the breath in his lungs. When the sky wasn't falling, they spent their time trying their best to hurt or otherwise embarrass each other, so much that it'd become something of a tradition. In times of peace they were the bitterest of friends, and the pettiest of enemies.

But when things got serious, there were no questions that needed to be asked, nor negotiations that needed to be conducted. Kyo should've known he didn't need to threaten Iori to obtain his help, _hell,_ he didn't need to beg either. When Kyo asked him to fight alongside in his misaligned quest against innocent IKARI troops, there really wasn't much thinking to do. Iori's mind was made up before he even received the request. Kyo's enemies were his enemies. IKARI would fall in the name of _goodness._

 _That's really fucked... haha._

He snickered, but it came out as a pained groan.

"Yagami, let's start."

Iori flinched to attention at the sound of Kyo's voice. The tips of his fingers burned into numbness and he gripped his good hand into a fist. It shook like a leaf.

 _What a pathetic sight..._

The wind howled behind him and the ten burning figures lit the room with dancing shadows. Kyo's voice carried eerily across the floor. He walked between the flaming figures as he approached the cot. There was a confidence in his stride, and his countenance was easy. He was no longer darting around like a paranoid idiot so whatever worries he had, had been dealt with. Iori was sitting in the cot and leaned against the wall. His boots were planted on the cot's far rim and he rested his wrists on his kneecaps. He breathed shallowly as he watched Kyo approach. Kyo flopped into the cot beside him, nearly bouncing him off, and turned to face Leona. He flashed a malacious grin and spoke with a dangerous excitement.

"Alright Leona, Pick up that Radio and call whoever's in charge. If you want your buddies to live, say exactly what I tell you. Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

 _So Kyo's valor is like whoa_

 _And Yag's kindness is like fam. stop (Hell tho. Boi I wanna be ur friend. Rock Howard doesn't know what he's got lol)_

 _Don't worry. Chizuru's wisdom is probably wholesome._

 _ha._

 _ok we can finally start this shit once Daddy Heidern and Devilmom get here._

 _Also Yag is canonically hecking gay so don't at me. (Tkx Heroines)_


	31. Escalator

_Little bit o'smthn for my guys :)_

 _2 new perspectives? ha... lol. Let's do another mastermind._

* * *

"CAF-19 Come in, is there a problem?"

 _*...*_

"Pilot. There is no holding pattern. You are clear for landing."

 _*...*_

"Pilot? Pilot! Come in!... Colonel, he's not answering. Maybe the Radio's down?"

Clark walked over to the flight deck. There was a visible drag in his step. As the current acting commander, he had to do his best to hide his nervousness and apprehension. He had to behave as if he knew exactly what to do, because if his troops knew how _fucking_ scared he was, who knows what would happen?

 _Mutiny probably..._

Well, perhaps he could mask his emotions a little better, because the soldiers clearly percieved he was nervous, and were unsettled by him.

Rather, they were unsettled by the developments of the past half-hour. The small band of IKARI soldiers - 28 men strong - were well trained and well equipped enough to deal with threats which vastly outmanned them. They were the best soldiers in the world, and were quite used to overcoming impossible odds. Hell, Leona - IKARI's ' _baby'_ and the least experienced of the combat units, was alone strong enough to take on an entire squadron of soldiers. She didn't even have to be rioting.

But when IKARI got into trouble, granted, it happened very rarely, but when it did - and they were truly in a position where they'd be annihilated without outside assistance, their go-to bailout was _Iori Yagami_ of all people.

It had been Heidern's idea. Nearly three years ago, Clark's troops had been captured and imprisoned in a miserable POW camp for several days. The politics of the area were fickle, and the very idea of performing a manpower-heavy rescue, or carpet bombing the place was out of the question. Clark remembered being shocked into silence when he got a text memo from one of IKARI's mini-drones. It stated that a Pharmaceutical conglomerate was going to drop an insane musician dead center in the enemy camp - and that was somehow going to solve their problems.

Clark was very close to utter despair, until he reasoned that the note was probably a cruel prank being played on him by… somebody in IKARI. He had seen Iori Yagami in action during KOF Tournaments. He was a great martial artist and made it to the quarterfinals pretty consistently. He'd probably be great in a gang-fight, but there was no way in hell he could take on a military-grade and heavily guarded POW camp.

That's what Clark continued to tell himself, until his cell door was kicked open by a pissed-off Japanese guy who wouldn't stop talking to himself. Clark recalled seeing the bodies just as he started questioning Iori on their method of escape.

Fifty lay where they fell. They hung from their watchtowers, they were strewn across the ground as if they dropped mid-stride, some still held their rifles. Others died taking naps. It was as if they'd been struck by a plague which caused the base of their skulls to blow out from the inside.

Iori Yagami had killed them almost effortlessly, and Kyo Kusanagi was capable of much the same. Clark knew a hundred ways to kill a man with his bare hands, but had never considered the human body to be _quite_ that fragile until he met the pyrokinetics. During that particular occasion, on their way to the designated helicopter point, Iori had explained that ' _You just boil the blood. I mean… not all of it because then they explode and it's fucking disgusting. Just in the head, y'know? Wanna keep things civil.'_

'Civil.'

 _Fuck!_

For a long time, the Sacred Treasures had been indispensable allies. Now, in a cruel twist of fate, their saving grace had turned against them. _What the hell was he supposed to do?!_ How was he supposed to fight against people who were functionally bulletproof and could kill a man with nothing but a line of sight? It was like some sort of nasty joke. What were the chances?

… what were the chances.

 _No… It can't be chance. Somebody set this shit up… It just so happens the Commander isn't on site to deal with this, half of our troops have disappeared into that building and aren't responding to radio, and we're down one bird… there's definitely some foul play. But who's the culprit? Who has substantial influence over those nutballs, and has a bone to pick with IKAR-..._

 _No way…_

 _The Yata woma-_

"Sir! There's this Japanese chick that just showed up in the foyer! She says she's here to see the commander… do you wanna talk to her?"

Somebody rammed the door open to deliver the news. The steel door slammed against the opposing wall with a loud bang. The flight deck was full of nerves and almost everyone jumped.

The room fell into a tense silence and Clark felt the eyes of his men resting on him. Outside, the wind blustered wildly against the large windowpanes, and they creaked beneath the pressure. In the distance the smouldering wreck of Ralf and Leona's helicopter was still glowing a faint orange beside the prison-building.

"Restrain and blindfold her. Watch her and don't listen to anything she says. Understand? That's Chizuru Kagura and she's dangerous. If anyone acts strangely, get them the hell away from her. You cannot kill her, but if you need to break a finger, I'll allow it. You have tasers right?"

"Yes sir-!"

They were interrupted by Leona's voice crackling over the radio.

* * *

 _1...2…3… ugh-_

A person blinked into existence and steadied herself against a tree trunk. The slim silhouette retreated into the wooded area and sat down on the gnarled roots of an old oak. She took a deep breath and concentrated as the wind whipped the tops of the trees. There was darkness all around, yet she saw. She was seeing with four sets of her own eyes.

 _okay..._ _I've got the pilot doing circles up there, now… the compound. I need to find the boys too… haah… breathe… don't get confused…_

A figure which looked very much like Chizuru Kagura emerged from the inky darkness and approached the lighted control tower in the center of the military compound. She was dressed in the clothes she had been kidnapped in, with a large overcoat courtesy of the pilot. Her heels clacked against the concrete and she adjusted her black blazer as she made her way toward the guarded entrance.

It was dark out, and Chizuru was thankful for it. Otherwise the guards might notice that the person walking toward them was missing her left pinky finger entirely. It was faded out like a bad photoshop doctoring, but was otherwise perfect. It would convince anyone - and for now, all she needed was to talk to the Commander and argue for the safe release of Kyo and Iori. No doubt that snake wanted to capture her as well, and thus control the entirety of the three treasures.

 _Damn Heidern bastard..._

She'd never let that happen, she had to be exceedingly careful. The last thing she needed was another Iceland. Chizuru didn't like being up against the ropes. She hated being put under pressure. She was the one who _exerted_ pressure, nobody had the authority to demand anything of her. Perhaps it was that obsession with _'winning'_ that caused her to escalated when she was cornered.

When she was cornered, she escalated wildly.

She won those battles not with wit, nor trickery, nor reasoning, but with pure willingness to go to _total war_ against her enemy. She was willing to fight until the last breath, the last dollar, and that stauch, admittingly barbarian-like tendency filled her brain with fevered schemes.

If she only chose her battles, if she could only stomach loss a bit more easily, her life could be much calmer. But alas, she couldn't help herself.

The fact that she would _not_ lose, was her one weakness.

She knew it, she acknowledged it, she internalized it.

In order that she wouldn't lose.

She would breathe her last before she kneeled before anyone. She would die before she lost her fellow treasures. They were unbelievably precious to her, and she wouldn't trade them for anything.

For in this world, power was everything.

And if Heidern wouldn't return what was rightfully hers, she was going to crush his skull with a fighter jet.

* * *

 _REEEE DEVILLMOOOM_


	32. Risk Management 2008

_Been like a month since last upload lol._

 _Imma be in Iraq doing humanitarian work for a bit. I'll be back in 2 weeks. I might spend the downtime writing lol. who knows. Wish me luck btw._

 _Prob bad luck to be writing hostage situations the night before I fly haha... *sweats profusely*_

* * *

"If you … if we hear gunshots, we'll kill the hostages… _(japanese)..._ If you deploy aircraft, we kill them… If you gas us we kill them…. _(japanese)..._ If you do anything except what I tell you, we kill them."

Leona's voice remained surprisingly steady as she translated and relayed Kyo's message. She was kneeling on the concrete, cloaked head to toe in blazing orange flames and gripping the portable radio unit. There was a hard pebble digging into her knee through the tough canvas of her cargo pants. She pushed down on it harder than necessary - grinding it in, just to make sure the situation at hand was actually _real_.

… _None of this makes sense at all… none…_

The microphone's metal handle glowed red-hot in her grasp, but it seemed the Kusanagi flames lent her certain heat-proofing qualities. It was almost mesmerising, watching the hot flames lick up from her hands. They danced about her fingertips and swirled around her arms and torso in a serpentine fashion. In any other situation, they'd be beautiful. But in this moment, they were horrible.

The fire was hot, and the heat felt like it _should_ be unbearable, but somehow it wasn't. Everything about her knew she was supposed to be burning, and her brain was primed for the feeling of pain. Yet, there was none to be felt. She was heatproof. It was the strangest thing - nothing like when Riot burned her before. She still had blisters on her hands and arms from that, and wasn't eager to repeat the experience with Kusanagi flames. She tore her thoughts from the flames wrapped around her and focused on her mission. In order to preserve the lives of her colleagues, she needed to tell Command about the situation. Only then would they be able to run an appropriate rescue.

 _Breathe Leona… deep breathes… Assess the situation. Get as much information as possible. And pass that information to command. That's your mission..._

Although that was what she told herself, Leona couldn't help but be distracted by the loud crackling of Iori Yagami's purple flames.

While Kyo's fire wrapped and swirled smoothly about their targets, the purple flames were much more violent. Iori's fire was akin to a constant series of explosions and caused the air to sear and pop. Despite their apparent volatility, they offered much of the same protective qualities Kyo's fire granted. Iori's flames were melting white hot puddles in the concrete, and the three soldiers from Micky's team were ankle deep in the stickly molten concoction. Leona didn't want to think about what would happen if Iori extinguished the flames while they were still standing there. Would they be-...

 _Ugh…_

She shivered as she was reminded of the sharp feeling of Yagami flames searing through her arms, back in that abandoned apartment building. They had left trails of dark, painful blisters across her arms. She had just gotten them lanced and disinfected, and was still suffering their effects. The last thing she wanted was to experience something like that again again, especially since the old wounds were only a day old.

 _The flames they use during tournaments… those are just for show. If they actually used their flames to the extent of their abilities, nobody could stand a chance… ugh… what can I do? Can IKARI even do anything? I don'-_

Leona steeled her thoughts and shook the thoughts from her head. If she continued along this path, she would fall into despair. She of all people knew that despair was what truly killed a man, and hope was what kept him alive. A man with no hope was just the same as the corpse beside him on the battlefield.

 _I'm not dead yet! I belong to IKARI and IKARI belongs to me. I will put my hope in them! They will think of something._

Leona clenched her teeth and ground the pebble into her knee. The pain was bringing her back to reality. The sting of the bandages pressing against her blisters shocked her back to the present. The current situation demanded all of her attention. She opened her eyes wide. She sharpened her ears. She began observing. She began planning.

She was to be the communication manager. She needed to extricate herself and her team from this hostage situation. Leona was in the unique position to contact Clark and Command. She could theoretically get on the Radio and say whatever she wanted, since Kyo didn't understand her anyways, but Iori was the problem. He seemed only about halfway lucid, but the merest suspicion on his part could blow her entire plan to bits.

 _I need to calculate risk…_

Leona spoke slowly and loudly as she translated Kyo's message. She observed Kyo and Iori from the corner of her eye, waiting and watching for an opportunity to relay the essential information.

* * *

"Listen carefully… They have some demands. It is not clear they will release us upon fulfillment."

Ralf raised his head and focused on Leona's voice. He had a nasty bruise forming on his forearm and he was pretty sure the underlying bone was fractured. A few moments earlier, Kyo Kusanagi had struck… no, _attacked_ him. The Japanese man was fighting differently compared to tournament battles. It was more savage. Raw. Desperate. Ralf had never noticed the difference before. The only other time he'd ever seen Kyo ' _fight to injure'_ , rather than ' _fight to win'_ was in Iceland. At the time, he didn't pay much attention to what the ' _nutjobs'_ were doing. He was mostly focused on keeping his helicopter from catching fire.

Honestly, Ralf wished he had paid more attention to Kyo. IKARI as a whole had always been more concerned with Iori Yagami, who was very violent and very strange. Iori was a man who warranted concern, and therefore IKARI had kept close tabs on him for the past few years. They had made the mistake of dismissing Kyo as a fairly normal and even-tempered sportsman. They thought there was nothing interesting or threatening about him.

It wasn't an _entirely_ unwarranted assumption.

Normally Kyo didn't kill people. The man was known for going to great lengths to keep blood off his hands. The fact that Iori Yagami, most violent stalker to walk the earth was _still_ walking the earth, meant that Kyo spared his life continually. Ralf had seen them fight before, Yagami was pretty flashy, with his ridiculous flames and switchblades for hands, but for those well versed in battle tactics - it was clear that Kyo was always a few steps ahead of his rival. There was only one person who could 'easily' kill IKARI's panic button, and he was currently at least halfway insane.

That assumption that Kyo Kusanagi was a well balanced individual was far too generous. Surely he had been effected by his NESTS captivity in some deep mental way. Just because he had never shown any signs of issue didn't mean there wasn't anything there. That mistake was the root of what caused this whole situation. _Gah… If only we had been more wary of this asshole…_

"Entrance to the room faces east. Two windows on the north side. They're sitting on the right side of the room, fifty degrees field of vision through the doorway. Approach from the north, or by parachute."

Leona was speaking again. Ralf couldn't understand Japanese and was thus relying on Leona's translation for information on their situation. If not for her, he wouldn't know what was going on at all. It was clear the rest of the hostages were also paying close attention.

The blue-haired woman was kneeling on the concrete with her back against the cot's rim. She spoke slowly and clearly, with the intention of not only conveying the message, but also any important information about the situation. She was measuring her words in order to imitate a translation. Iori was motionless, slumped over to her left, and obviously not listening. If he were, he would've stopped Leona by now. His legs were sticking off the edge of the cot, and he looked to be folded uncomfortably over himself. The only indication he was even conscious was that Micky D wasn't burnt to crisp. Even the raspy sound of his labored breathing had grown faint.

Kyo was crouched to Leona's right, staring at her across from the portable radio. He seemed to be full of excitement and bursting with vigor. He was intent on seeing the operation through to success and remained suspicious of most anything the IKARI troops did. He was paying tremendous attention to detail, and it wouldn't be easy slipping anything under his radar.

"They want us to send our own troops, bring whatever… whatever was in Yagami's IV bag… the Sarin antidote. There are nine of us, three from Patrol 1 Thrall is dead. Patrol 2 is all here. Ralf and myself are also being held here- ah? _(angry japanese)._ "

Kyo had noticed the cadence of Leona's translation had changed and snapped at her. She fell silent as soon as he raised his voice. He was obviously high strung and it looked like Leona was trying to keep him calm. If Kyo got flustered with her, he might decide to roast a few of the soldiers to vent. Ralf saw her cast a worried glance at him. He had no comfort to offer. He just mouthed ' _Do your best'._

Leona nodded at him and spoke to Kyo in a low, serious voice. Normally IKARI didn't negotiate with terrorists, but normally the terrorists didn't possess enough raw power to take on the entire team at once. IKARI would be willing to bend to their requests - or at least pretend to until the commander was informed and sent help.

 _*Bzzt… Leona? Leona are you alright? Come in.*_

Leona hesitated and glanced briefly at the Sacred Treasures before speaking. Kyo had turned his back and was trying to shake Iori out of stupor, clearly annoyed that he wasn't checking Leona's translation. Iori responded with an half hearted attempt to dislodge himself and retaliate. They squabbled like that for a few precious moments, allowing Leona to whisper vital information quickly into the microphone - knowing whatever she said was being recorded and could be deciphered afterwards.

"Situation's bad. Kyo is the ringleader and aggressive. We are being held hostage via flames and they can kill us at any moment. Kyo is convinced we are the enemy, and I think… I think he just want us all dead. His mannerisms are similar to death-row inmates. We are all in a single room, west wing of the prison-building - about thirty metres north from the crashed helicopter. Attempted to persuade Iori to our side, he's hurt but won't budge. He'll die if we don't get him antidote, he has maybe three hours. Contact Command- _...Aaack!_ "

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Kyo had Iori by the hair and Iori had Kyo by the throat. They seemed quite involved with shaking each other's eyes out until Iori noticed Leona frantically talking into the microphone. With some unspoken signal, they both stopped and Kyo whirled around to kick the microphone from her hand.

Leona tried to scrambled to her feet, but dropped back down to narrowly avoid a knee strike to the skull. Her face was wooden as she turtled up and shielded herself, clearly expecting an onslaught.

Ralf also expected one. He had seen Leona get beaten before, and it was never easy watching IKARI's 'baby' get hurt. But there was something uniquely horrifying about Kyo's desperate brutality which caused the pilot to cringe.

It was just two strikes. They bore testament to the flawless technique of 'The King of Fighters'. With on hand, Kyo grabbed Leona by the arm and yanked, pulling her up out of her guard and into a halfway standing position. Ralf jolted and seared himself on the flames as he watched Kyo bury a knee deep in her gut, then punch her in the throat.

Ralf heard the painful crunch of cartilage.

She fell to the floor, gasping and clutching her neck while Kyo glared down at her. Iori had lain back down on the cot, clearly too preoccupied with breathing to participate in abusing hostages. He was in no shape for roughhousing, and getting the shit shaken out of him wasn't doing him any favours. Ralf saw him turn his head as Kyo addressed him.

" _Yagami. I don't know what they've been planning, but I think we need to wrap this up. Let's finish this bunch and go after the main building."_

" _... (haaah)... o-okay… uh-?!"_

The atmosphere in the room seemed to grow cold despite the thousand degree flames in the room. A psychological chill ran through the air. Iori was no longer looking at Kyo, and had propped himself on his elbows to stare at the doorway. Kyo was still talking as he turned to see what his partner in crime was looking at.

" _There should only be another ten or so of them. I need your flames to…to… um..."_

Kyo's voice petered out as he stared, confused, at the figure striding through the doorway. The clack of her heels rang loudly across the floor as she approached. She straightened her black blazer, brushed a long strand of hair back behind her ear, and crossed her arms across her chest. Her gaze was steely and her voice held the tone of absolute authority tinged with mild contempt.

"Kusanagi."

"Uh... Hi Chiz."

Ralf was beginning to see why Heidern respected this woman as an equal.

* * *

 _Devilmom saves the day? What?!_

 _haha. I just love Chiz she's the best._

 _Notes:_

 _There are rings of cartiledge around the trachea that give it support. Kyo went ahead a broke a couple of Leona's :(_

 _we can hold a vote to have Chiz slap the shit out of team murder? would that make things better?_

 _So Leona calcuated risk wrong lol. When Kyo said lets wrap this up he meant he was gonna burn everyone. She got bailed out by Chiz._

 _Don't worry, next chapter will prob be about why tf chiz is even there. Devilmom is best mom_

 _kk bye_


	33. Cheese makes everything better

_the takes place immedietly after Leona hats throat punched._

 _I enjoy Devilmom. Riot gives her a nickname too lol. I wonder how those two will get along._

* * *

Colonel Clark Still crossed his arms across his chest and glowered down at the woman across the interrogation table. The single blue-white fluorescent light swayed slowly on it's cord above the bare steel table. On the table was a large black box with several flashing lights which blinked on and off intermittently. The radio admitted loud static, filling the frigidly cold room with gray noise.

"Why are you here, Kagura? What's your purpose?"

The woman wrists were so thin they were nearly slipping out of their shackles. Clark had tasked a couple of soldiers with intimidating her, but they obviously hadn't done a very good job. Her hair was a bit mussed, but otherwise she looked just as cool and authorative as she always did. She looked up at Clark with dark, sharp eyes and opened her mouth in a sneer, revealing a set of small, white teeth.

"Why Colonel? Surely you know. Or did your precious commander not tell you?"

Clark blinked. Chizuru's voice was neither loud nor particularily aggressive, but Clark felt the beginnings of an ache in his chest. A thrill of terror ran through his head, but he quickly suppressed it. He knew it was artificial. He heard a thud as the soldier behind him jumped and smacked into the wall. Clark could smell the fear wafting off his collegue.

 _What the hell is this woman… ugh… keep it together..._

Clark gritted his teeth and raised his voice.

"Talk, woman! Declare your intentions or we'll assume the worst."

She laughed. It was a nasty laugh. The soldier fled the room, slamming the door behind him. Clark smacked his fist on the table, rattling the radio unit on the table. He hated to admit it, but he was getting scared. Originally it was just the superficial terror that affected him, but now he was beginning to wonder what else this seemingly frail woman could do. Could she read his mind? Could she shut his brain down? She acted with such flippant authority that Clark was beginning to believe she could. He wished this woman would just tell him why she was here so he could get the hell out of this room, and… _wait, what am I sayin-_

"IKARI, you've kidnapped my boys. I'm here to get them back… And I assure you that I haven't come expecting you to comply just because I've asked nicely."

"Kidnap-...Woman, are you threatening me?"

Clark shouted at her, she laughed and barked back. Somehow she overpowered him although her voice was nowhere near all loud as his.

"Yes I am."

A pause. For a moment, Clark's tongue went numb in his mouth. He couldn't make a sound. _Holy shit!_

Chizuru's voice softened as she continued. Clark felt his hands becoming clammy with sweat. This wasn't how interrogations were supposed to work.

"I care about my boys. I care nothing for IKARI. If you do well by them, you do well by me. Heidern flew me in by the jet circling above our heads. It's my jet now. Return Kyo and Iori to my jurisdiction, and I'll return your jet. If you refuse, I'll still return your jet, but I'll park it right here in the command building. Give your answer now, will you fulfill my demands?"

Clark hesitated. Chizuru was under the impression that IKARI was holding the sacred treasures hostage, when in reality Kyo and Iori were holding nearly half the IKARI force at gunpoint. From the information Leona had conveyed before she was cut off, Clark had deduced that Kusanagi was currently unhinged, and Yagami was on the brink of death. If IKARI took any visible military action, the hostages would certainly be killed. The only way to bring this situation to a peaceful close was with Chizuru's cooperation. She was the only person who could possibly bring those loose cannons into line.

"I am willing to return them to you, but they're unwilling to cooperate. If y-"

"I won't help you."

"What?!"

"I told you, Colonel Still, I'm threatening you. I know your situation, and I'm not offering a helping hand. I don't care about you at all. If half of IKARI needs to burn for me to achieve my goal, so be it. If all of you end up dead, I couldn't care less. Get my boys to me safely and I'll spare those in the command tower. If you fail, you and your colleagues die. Those are the rules of my game and you're already playing."

Cold silence. Clark didn't know what to think. All he knew was he wanted to punch Chizuru in the face really badly, but if he did his soldiers' lives might be forefeit. Hold on, how did he know Chizuru wasn't bluffing? Was there actually a hijacked fighter jet in the sky? Chizuru herself was in the command tower, surely she wouldn't give her own life just to kill people she 'didn't care at all about'. She claimed she knew about the hostage situation, but didn't provide any details. That might be a ploy as wel-

*BOOOM*

The ground shook. Powdered debris sprinkled down from the ceiling tiles. Clark took a step back and instinctively checked for structural damage in the roofing. The radio rattled and the speaker-piece came free from it's holster. It admitted a dial tone.

"I forget to tell you. The jet has four wing mounted missiles… three now. That was aimed at the field south of the building. I'll drop the next one on the northern side. You keep cargo there, right? If you don't make a decision quickly, this might get expensive for you... Ready?"

"Walt!"

"No."

*BOOOM*

Clark began to panic, he heard running and shouting in the hallways. Chizuru looked as calm as ever, however wheres before her hands were cuffed to the back of the chair, now they were laid on the table before her, still cuffed. Clark took one look at those hands and did a double-take.

 _She's missing a finger!? Why is it faded like that?! It's not amputated-_

"You! What the hell are you?!"

There was something strange about the woman sitting before him. Upon first observation, she seemed to be a normal, physical, person. She was no sceptre, the soldiers had frisked her, they were able to cuff her she was real flesh and blood… but then _why_ was her left hand gradually disappearing.

Chizuru looked down at her hands and blinked. Her hand flashed back into reality. She looked at Clark and smiled softly. She replied in a low, smooth voice.

"What am I? Give me the answer I want and I might just become your friend… But believe me-"

She raised her shackled hands into the air directly beneath the swaying lamplight and shook them as if flinging off water. Clark watched in shocked silence as Chizuru's wrists momentarily faded from existence and the heavy steel cuffs clattered on the table in a heap. She stood and smiled at him with her small, white teeth.

"Of all the people on Earth, _I_ am the worst one to have as an enemy."

The lamplight swayed like a metronome. The circle of fluorescent light swung from one side of the table to the other. The gray noise seemed to fade into silence. Clark was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles stood white.

"Give my boys back to me, what do you say Colonel. If you give me the right answer, I'll be your friend."

She slowly sat back down in her seat and picked up the Radio speaker-piece. Clark glared at her, mute.

" I know you need my help, but I only help my friends. Comply and I might even grant you the opportunity to bribe me, I _am_ quite generous after all. For that, I suggest you call the commander."

"..."

She didn't like his silence. Her placid expression turned ugly with uncanny speed. She hissed at him like some sort of gorgon.

"Your helicopter hanger is next Colonel."

Clark wasn't about to take his chances with the gorgon. Especially when she was somehow manning a bomber jet, and his troops were at risk. Turning down Chizuru's offer might prove fatal to the entire IKARI squadron. Clark had to swallow his pride.

"I'll patch you through."

She laughed sweetly. The sound was revolting.

"You're a great friend, Colonel."

* * *

 _Kagura? Why is she here?_

"Chiz? … uh, are you okay?"

Iori could only observe his fellow treasures with one eyes from behind the aluminum bedframe. He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever felt this weak. His vision was swimming and he was pretty sure he wanted to puke. Sure, there had been times in the past where Riot had nearly killed him, but even then he wasn't fighting to draw breath.

"... Chiz? Hello?"

Kyo was waving his hands in front of Chizuru's face. She was staring forward blankly, as if her mind was preoccupied somewhere else. Honestly, it probably was. Kyo and Iori's powers were relatively straightforward. Chizuru's weren't and she kept the extent of her abilities under lock and key.

 _Maybe she's remote piloting the Mars Rover…_

 _CHEESE_

 _What?_

 _CHEESE._

 _It's 'Chiz', but call her Kagura._

 _NO. CHEESE._

 _Dammit Riot you can't just name people. Why do you call Kusanagi 'Orange' anyways? How do you come up with these-_

"Kusanagi. Yagami. Please turn off the flames."

Were the first words out of her mouth as she came to. Iori watched her face take expression and become alive. He was glad Chizuru was here. If she was here, that meant everything was going to be alright. He took a lot of comfort in that. It was obvious Kyo felt the same, because his eyes had lost that sickly sheen of desperation. Neither of them were the 'follower' type, and they weren't particularly complacent either. Most people referred to them as some iteration of _'those crazy loose cannons'_

Nevertheless, they were quite happy to fall under Chizuru's leadership. Over the years she has proven trustworthy and prudent. That's why when she ordered them to relinquish their flames, they did so without argument. Well, _mostly_ without argument.

"Chiz, IKARI is trying to experiment on us. They're going to repeat NESTS, and-"

"How sure are you?"

"Uh-"

With his flames no longer active, Iori felt himself drifting off into a long awaited sleep. He listened to Kyo whine at Chizuru as he slipped from consciousness. The hostages quickly filed out of the room. Iori felt a twinge of guilt as he watched Leona get carried out by her colleagues.

 _BLUE. CHEESE._

 _Riot, quiet already._

Chizuru's soft voice carried across the room.

"Because I'm pretty sure I paid IKARI an absurd sum of under-the-table money to fish you two out of that hellhole."

"... Oh. Really?...Um… _Shit…"_

"Shit, indeed."

* * *

One day Chiz will be my protagonist. Iori needs some oxygen, poor baby. Kyo needs to get the shit kicked out of him.

Lol, crisis averted but not really. Did y'all's think things were gonna get prettier when Devilmom gets involved? She's gonna play a bigger role from now on. Poor (unnamed antagonist).

Cya boiss.


	34. Veggie Tales

Short chapter. Adventures of Devilmom. Also Introducing Whip! (Hi David) She's kinda trigger happy lol

* * *

The sky was dark and clouded over. The cold atlantic wind howled over the US airbase, and whipped at foliage. A massive, matte-black helicopter slowly descended from the sky to land daintily on the helipad. Four rotary blades sliced the air with such ferocity the air flow from the engines caused the dust on the asphalt to blast outwards in a cloud.

As the engines began powering down with a whine, the hanger door opened with a loud clack. A tall, wiry figure stepped out and hopped off the raised platform. A shorter figure picked up a briefcase and followed him. The duo strode briskly toward the main building. Their path was illuminated by large white floodlights and the Commander came into sharp focus. He looked troubled.

A teenage girl dressed in military garb followed him. Her expression was serious beyond her years. She held the heavy briefcase aloft with an uncanny ease. The cold wind howled, whipping their clothes about them.

A figure stood further ahead, in the center of the barbed-wire fence's gate. The young girl noticed immediately that the person didn't seem subject to the normal forces of nature. Her long black hair and tight fitting blazer didn't so much as sway in the ferocious gale, neither did she cast a shadow. She turned on the communication device hooked over her ear and relayed her observation. The commander gave a nod of acknowledgement.

They continued marching. The woman didn't move from her spot. She must be waiting for them. She wasn't IKARI personnel, and the dark shadows cast by the floodlights were making it difficult for Whip to make out her features. At the very least, she was unarmed and didn't look like much of a fighter. The commander was likely a full head taller, at at least four times stronger than she was.

 _Maybe one of those military equipment salespeople?... Maybe not. It's almost 2 am…_

The Commander didn't relay any information to her while they were in the air. The only thing she knew was Heidern had spent the past half hour shouting into the radio. When he finally stepped out of the comms room, he looked so stressed, Whip decided it was better not to inquire of the events which had just transpired. Of course, that left her imagination run wild with a number of 'worst case scenarios'.

 _I hope everyone's okay… I heard there were some bombs dropped on the base. A terrorist attack? but from who? Afghanistan's coalition isn't operational anymore… The Russians are in the middle of peace talks… China's too tied up in trade to risk-_

"Kagura."

The commander's voice was chilly and intimidating. He craned his neck to look down at the businesswoman, she stepped back to meet his stern gaze. She didn't show any sort of reverence or respect in her demeanor, opting to cross her arms across her chest and match him.

Whip almost snorted. This frail little woman was trying to treat _The Commander_ as an equal? Nonsense. The young soldier had half a mind to step in and teach this business woman her place. The commander obviously could sense her intentions and motioned for her to stand down. She gripped the briefcase handle tightly as she fumed.

 _Who does this bitch think she is…_

"Heidern, _this_ ", the bitchy woman pointed at her. Whip frowned. "Is why you can't win. Victory requires sacrifice."

"Don't lecture me, woman. Did you fulfill your end of the deal?"

Her voice was mocking. Whip gripped her pistol's holster, willing herself not to draw it. _Nobody speaks to the commander like this!_

"Yes sir, dear Commander. All of your men are alive, save your medic. As to their wellness… well I can't attest to that. It was outside our deal, but since I'm so generous, I've stepped in to lend a hand concerning treatment."

"Thrall?"

"Gone without a trace. Gammy took him out."

A pause.

"Your pet names are disgusting."

The woman chuckled. Whip was disliking her more and more.

"Tell him, he'll pretend to be mortified, but he secretly likes it."

She turned her back and walked through the gateway. Her voice didn't seem to be affected by the wind, so Whip could still hear her quite clearly despite the howling.

"But enough pleasantries. All of your troops are appropriately being cared for. My 'troops' are both asleep back in your little prison complex. I hope you don't mind that I've helped myself to your medicine cabinet… ah, your jet is parked over there," She pointed to the airfield "But your pilot's a vegetable."

She turned to cast a fake look of apology.

"Allow me to offer my deepest condolences."

The commander didn't say anything, but Whip knew that he was angry. It had been a long time since she last saw him bottling in so much rage. Every muscle in his body was tensed and he looked about ready to pounce upon the woman and slice off her head. Whip wouldn't mind seeing that...

The woman either didn't know she had turned her back on the world's best assassin, or she didn't care because she continued to speak in that confidently smug voice as she walked. Whip began fingering the strap on her holster again.

"Count yourself lucky, Commander. This is the best case scenario. I was prepared to use Mr. Veggie in a kamikaze attack on my friend, Colonel Clark. Ah, enough about that. You've agreed to give me full access to your satellite systems. I've done my half, you do yours… and _Missy._ "

Whip was jolted by something like a mental prod. There was suddenly a tremendous pressure pushing down on the bridge of her nose and outwards from behind her eyes. She startled, blinked and frowned when the sensation didn't fade. The commander barked at the woman.

"Kagura! Cease immediately."

The sensation faded.

The woman shrugged and smiled softly at her.

"If you pull that pistol on me, I'll make you gouge out your eyes."

* * *

Nobody can Pronounce Iori's name. Pretty much everyone in SouthTown calls him Lory. American Sports team straight up thinks his actual name is Lorraine.(Rip Brian Battler). Gammy's still cringy as hell, but at least it's not based on misunderstanding.

Chiz messed with the pilot's head so bad he became Mr. Veggie... lol. I mentioned way in the beginning that I pretty much kill all my OCs. I think The only ones that are alive (and NOT braindead) are Mrs. Shates and Micky D so far. (Shates is Yag's Landlady).

Ok, time to clear some of the air. Whenever Chiz comes in she lies a LOT so I need to write clearly what's actually going on.

tChiz negotiated with Commander through Clark. Best case scenario (without devilmom help) Leona's group get fried and some of Command's group dies trying to get Team Mureder to Chiz. Also the cargo hold and helicopter hanger get nuked. Chances are, tho, they won't be able to get Team murder out before Chiz blasts the place to smithereens with Mr. Veggie's help.

But since Chiz - full of compassion and understanding - decided Heidern had something to offer for his troops (and daughter's_) life, she let herself be bribed into helping. She gets to play with Heidern's sattelites now. (they'll probably find some loophole to cut her access, but whatever they do this stuff to eachother all the time.) So Chiz pops in, turns off Team Murder;s autistic terrorist plan, plays medical on everyone, and viola. life is happy again.

I would like to make clear that heidern is Every bit as shrewed and powerful as Chiz is. I think I show her winning more than Heidern, but I can assure you they're equal when it comes to messing with eachother. I should show Commander winning this weird game more often cuz Daddy Heidern needs that respect.

Or maybe not, and I'll just this fandom's hate for Devilmom boil over :0

Ok, I know notes are getting long but whatever.

The real chiz is flesh and blood. She prepped a ton of clones on the plane ride over. They all look like her but some of them are missing parts and faded etc... So shadow clones can fade in and out of existence. We've got a couple running around. If they're hurt, it does nothing to real chiz. They fight pretty well and can teleport. The more energy Chiz pours into them, the closer to the original they get. She has to manage them all centrally though, which is why she was spacing out last chapter with Kyo.

1) Was talking to clark in interrogation room- is now playing medical for IKARI

2) In plane with Mr. Veggie - landed plane and is now chatting with Commander

3) was hiding in the woods, is now probably injecting Yag with antidote so he doesn't drop dead.

kk. let's wind down this part and start tackling wth this zombie virus even is. This time we can figure it out because instead of having insane Kyo and Braindead Iori on the case, we've got Devilmom and Daddy Heidern looking into it.

greetings from Iraq btw.


	35. Prevailing Sentiment

_I'm back._

 _Some good natured ribbing. No more velocirator Kyo. Iori get's a nap._

 _Originally this chapter was longer, but I sliced it in half. Re-doing the second half currently._

* * *

The air was cool and clean.

A skylight overhead was spotted with morning dew. Soft light filtered into the room. He could make out the foggy shapes of foliage swaying in the wind as he stared outwards.

There was a dull ache in his arm where an IV was hooked in. That arm was velcro-ed to the bed. The rest of him was pinned down by a heavy blanket, which had been stuffed in beneath the mattress. Iori felt no urgency to free himself. He closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath.

He took another.

He hadn't realized just how beautiful air tasted until now.

Iori didn't know what Chizuru had done to him, but whatever it was, it was working. He had regained sight in his left eye - secretly he was afraid he might've lost it, his left arm was gradually regaining mobility, and sweet heavens he could breathe!

He just wanted to lay there on his little hospital bed, hooked up to whatever this magic liquid was, and enjoy breathing in peace.

But as always, peace eluded him.

 _Please, dear God… Shut the fuck up Kusanagi…_

Kyo was pacing around his hospital room talking to very loudly to himself. He looked stressed out, his brow knotted into lines. His lips were turned downwards in a grimace and he seemed to be wringing his hands unconsciously.

Somebody else might have empathized with the clearly distressed man, but Iori had just woken up grumpy and… well, he wasn't a particularly nice person anyways. He did his best to ignore his rival, but alas, once Kyo realized he was conscious, he walked himself over to Iori's bedside and began droning about how badly they had messed up.

 _No shit. I freaking told you IKARI wasn't gonna experiment on us… now leave me alone._

The withering glare Iori cast in Kyo's direction had no effect whatsoever on the trajectory of the conversation. Kyo clearly didn't care that he wasn't interested. He was obviously just here to rant and get stuff off his chest. This sort of thing had never been tolerable, but in this case Kyo had woken him up from the sweetest sleep of his life and, naturally, Iori wanted to kill him.

Then again, that seemed to be the prevailing sentiment between them regardless of circumstances.

"Yagami, we seriously fucked up, man. I don't even know where to start! Like shit, we killed a man! We kicked the shit out of the Commander's daughter… I think I gave like eight people concussions… Gaah! Dammit… what the hell am I even supposed to say?"

"Get the fuck out I'm trying to sleep."

He didn't leave. He just kept going.

"And those guys who shot us in the car? They were trying to get blood samples out of us to test if we were infected or not. They weren't trying to experiment on us after all! Oh, and Chiz told me I'm probably not infected because I haven't gone nuts yet. Same for you. So we kinda did all this stuff for nothing."

Iori gritted his teeth and looked around for something to throw at his rival. He spotted a glass of water on his nightstand and snatched at it. His left arm was mobile enough to accomplish this task, but the action nearly dislodged the IV. The sudden pain caused him to drop the glass on the floor and jerk into a sitting position. The wound in his stomach began acting up and he felt himself become nauseous.

"It's even worse than that. Yanno Leona? The girl I throat-punched? She ran the entire rescue operation. Did you know she had to break protocol to save us? The rescue op was optional too. She didn't have to come for us. If she decided not to, we'd be fucking dead, Yagami! She saves our asses and we fucking kill one of her friends and crush her throat. I bet she's regretting ever knowing us."

"Go away or I'll kill you!"

Kyo took that as an invitation to sit at the foot of his bed and plopped down on Iori's ankle. Iori yelped and began kicking at him from beneath the covers. The man simply rocked sideways at each impact and continued to drone.

"Then it turns out Chiz _(kick)_ set the whole thing up. I mean, I'm not _(kick)_ sure what politics she has to deal with, but the fact we went nuts on _(kick)_ IKARI definitely won't be good for her relations. She never tells us about her problems, _(kick)_ but I'm pretty sure we've just generated a ton of issues for her."

Iori was becoming annoyed that his strikes didn't seem to hurt as much as he wanted them to. He had half a mind to light his colleague on fire, but Riot mentioned something about the bed, and he was reminded of it's flammability.

"Why are you even here Kusanagi! Go tell Kagura about your problems and let me sleep!"

Kyo responded to his snarling in an even voice, entirely ignoring his aggression. That pissed Iori off more than it should have. His cheeks were getting hot and he was pretty sure his face was turning red.

"Chiz? She, uh well she was actually pretty mad at me, I don't really want to talk to her right now… she tried to beat me up with a rolled-up newspaper last night. Um… then she told me to apologize to everyone."

"Then go do it you fuck! Leave me alone!"

"I was hoping you'd help me with that."

 _"No!"_

Kyo Kusanagi had a way of ignoring everything he said. It was like he already decided what conversation he wanted to have, and held it regardless of whatever response the counterpart gave. It was the epitome of 'I'm ignoring you' and Iori hated to be ignored. Besides, he wasn't the kind of person you went to when you needed help composing your apology letters. He was only really useful when the sky was falling and you had some harebrained scheme to murder everyone.

"I need somebody to translate for me and Chiz is busy. Come on, I brought you a wheelchair. Just carry your IV thing."

"Don't you dare fucking touch me Kusana- _LET ME GO YOU FUCK!_ "

"We should stop by the medical ward first- hey, stop flailing you're gonna hurt yourself."

Despite the state of his lungs, Iori decided it was important for him to spend the next several minutes howling whatever death threats and profanities his mind supplied.

* * *

 _Troll never ends_

 _He's more serious in the next chapter._


	36. True Love

_GAY 1000._

 _haha, this update took so long._

 _Team murder is back in business baybee_

* * *

It took about a minute for Iori to stop screaming his colourful insults. He usually went on for quite a bit longer, but he started hiccupping violently and he needed to stop. He sat grumpily in his wheelchair and seemed to be doing his best to stay angry as Kyo pushed the him down the hallway toward the medical ward.

 _It's good he's lively… I thought he was gonna die._

The hallway they were traversing was dark and empty. Everything was utterly silent at this early hour. The soles of Kyo's shoes squeaked against the sterile linoleum, and the tap of his footsteps fell into beat with the methodical clicking that emitted from Iori's wheels. Both men had fallen silent once Iori had cycled through two languages of insults. Honestly, the fact Iori had woken up at all was immensely relieving.

 _He was getting so little oxygen, the doctors thought he was gonna be comatose… looks like he's fine though… I mean, he's talking intelligibly._

Kyo would never admit it, but he had been lurking outside Iori's hospital room all night. He had tried his best to get information from the doctors, but the team was American, and Chizuru was too busy dealing with Heidern to come translate for him. However, the apologetic looks they gave him, and whatever English words he understood, told volumes about Iori's grave condition.

Naturally, the moment the hospital staff changed shifts, Kyo snuck in to pace around Iori's room and occasionally poke at him. For a couple of hours, he got no response. Not even Iori's eyeballs were moving beneath his eyelids - but at least he was breathing. Kyo had been understandably jittery.

Now that Iori was very much alive, Kyo was relieved. The first hurdle was past, now for the second.

 _Damn, I hate apologizing._

Kyo wasn't concerned about apologizing to the IKARI staff - he didn't plan to do that anyways. He had merely used it as an excuse for being there. He couldn't bend his pride enough to beg forgiveness from strangers, and had no intention to, despite Chizuru asking him. Frankly, he had no relation with IKARI, and reasoned there was nothing to be lost by them having a sour opinion of him.

Instead, there was another relation he was much more concerned about.

Thanks to him, Iori had spent four hours yesterday slowly suffocating while being forced to help him hold hostages. He had known IKARI wasn't the enemy since the beginning, but Kyo had ignored him. Instead of recovering from the nerve toxin which had blinded him in one eye, and seized up nearly half his body - Kyo had him killing his drinking buddies.

 _...He only helped me because I would have killed him otherwise… I was prepared to kill him right there, and he probably knew it. Which… which means all of this is my fault…_

Kyo sighed and looked down at his rival. Normally, Iori would never tolerate being shipped around like this, but he was too weak to put up any real resistance. He had done a good deal of screeching and flailing, but despite his efforts, Kyo had easily plucked him out of bed and dumped him into the wheelchair.

 _I'm glad he's alive. If he died I'd never forgive myself… But… if that arm doesn't get better, he won't forgive me either…_

As far as Kyo could tell, Iori hadn't sustained any permanent injuries besides for his janky arm. In addition to whatever damage the nerve gas had caused, he had collected an impressive display of minor injuries. The nasty bruise on his left cheekbone where Kyo punched him two nights ago was dripping in ointment and covered in a large paste-on bandage. The sclera in his left eye was dyed red - he had popped a vein. He had bite marks all over, several cuts on his scalp, a puncture wound in his neck, and his stomach looked like it had been trampled by a horse.

Luckly, everything had been mummified under layers of gauze and medicine so nobody had to look at it. Chiz had her Orlando team helicoptered in, and the ten world-class medical personnel made short work of everyone's wounds. Apparently they had even done an emergency surgery on Leona. She was supposedly going to be alright.

 _Chiz is always so resourceful… always cleaning up our messes. I'm thankful for her…_

Kyo sighed as he walked, and pondered what he was going to say to Iori. He was feeling bad… almost as bad as Iceland. He felt bad about holding hostages. He felt bad that he'd hurt some innocent people… but what really made him feel like a piece of shit was he has forced someone else to do it with him.

… _I'd be mad… But he … does he remember? Maybe he does have brain damage after all._

After much deliberation on his part, and he had all evening to deliberate, Kyo had decided the best thing to do was act normally in the event Iori woke up. His rival wasn't a shy or soft-spoken person, so if there was an accusation to make, Iori would have made it within a few minutes of gaining consciousness. Kyo was expecting to get chewed out, and was a bit shocked when Iori merely told him to leave and tried to assault him with a glass of water.

 _He told me to die, but he didn't accuse me… do I need to apologize if he doesn't remember? I still feel bad th-_

Iori interrupted his thoughts.

"Kusanagi, what - _(hic)-_ day is it?"

Iori tone was aggressive as always, but he sounded tired when he spoke. The red-haired man didn't turn to address him.

"Wednesday. IKARI picked us up yesterday afternoon."

"... _(hic)-_ ARI? Oh yeah… are they okay? Micky D,- _(hic)-_ Alberto, Thrall-" At the mention of that name, Iori paused. His tone of voice wasn't flippant, but he didn't seem appropriately regretful either. Kyo immediately knew to whom he was referring.

"... oh wait, Thrall."

 _He does remember…_

Kyo sighed and stopped pushing, bringing them to a standstill in the sterile white hallway. To their right, there was a window looking into a wooded area. Kyo could faintly see their reflections in the glass pane. Two blurry figures dressed in white hospital smocks. Cold and silent.

"Yagami."

Iori had begun mumbling. He seemed to be talking to himself.

" _... dammit… the guys are gonna kill me… Riot… do you think-..._ What?"

He turned halfway. He looked annoyed. The shadows beneath his eyes seemed to grow deeper as his expression tensened. He side-eyed Kyo expectantly. Kyo chewed on the inside of his cheek and picked his brain. He blurted something out, his voice ringing uncomfortably loudly off the walls.

"This shitstorm was my fault, not yours. I made you do all that stuff to IKARI, so… I-I made you… and… if you can't use your arm anymo-... "

Kyo broke off and cursed himself as he searched for words. Iori sat motionless in his wheelchair, his half-paralyzed arm laid out across his lap. A flash of anger flew across his face, then he broke eye contact to look out the window. He stopped muttering, and instead began hissing under his breath.

 _Fuck._

Kyo turned to look out the window as well. The forested area was filled with lush foliage. Large dewdrops had formed on the wide leaves of the undergrowth. It looked cool and fresh. How Kyo wished life was simple again. Where he could simply enjoy those simple pleasures without worrying about the fallout of his recent insane episode.

… _he literally could have died. Brazil was bad enough, but at least we were fighting enemies… this time he turned on all his friends because I fucking threatened to kill him … dammit_

Finally Iori made a noise. It was something between a dry laugh and a cough. Kyo looked down at the top of his head and prepared his heart for the worst.

"Who do you think I am? A fucking tool? Like a gun or some shit?"

A pause. It was a rhetorical questions. Iori's voice had a raw - savage tone to it. He snarled at the window, baring his teeth. Kyo blinked down at him.

"Nobody can make me do anything. It was my choice and I know what I did, so shut up. Don't patronize me."

 _What?_

"... wait, you can't be ser-"

Iori heaved his way out of the wheelchair and laboriously staggered to his feet. He snatched up his IV and nearly smacked Kyo with it as he tottered over to the windowpane. There, he leaned his back against the glass and glared. He looked like an ICU patient attempting to stage an escape. Kyo would have laughed if the topic of conversation weren't so dire.

Iori clutched his IV stand and snarled like a feral animal.

"I'm dead _fucking_ serious Kusanagi. Don't try and treat me like a kid. In this business, you kill who you kill, you can't go around looking for someone to blame or you'll hate the whole world. You think people who steal food are innocent? Like, it's the government's fault they stole or some garbage? No. They made a choice."

Kyo held the wheelchair handles tightly and the red-haired man wheezed at him. It looked like the effort of walking was putting tremendous strain on his body. He was slowly sliding down the glass, and Kyo was debating whether to go help him or not.

"They chose. They chose to steal - _(haah)-_ to steal, or starve. They chose, and it makes them guilty. It's the same for me. And the same for you. So shut your damn mouth and stop with the pity."

"..."

Iori began coughing painfully and slid down the glass until he was seated on the floor. Kyo just stared flatly at him. He didn't expect this response at all. He knew his rival had some weird philosophies, but this one was strange in the extreme.

"Yagami, you can't just blame yourself for everythin- "

"Shut up! Shut up!... Who're you gonna blame? Kagura? Orochi? Blame your parents! Blame NESTS! Whatever you do if your own fault. I told you! I made a choice! Now, Fuck you! Go away."

Kyo felt himself becoming indignant. He had spent a long while composing apologies in his head, and he really did feel guilty. For some reason, he felt there was great injustice being done should Iori blame himself for what was clearly Kyo's harebrained scheme. Cliche as it was, he wanted the catharsis of confession. Iori was robbing him of that.

"Choice? What choice! It's hardly a choice at all! ' _Kill them, or die yourself'_ that was the choice I gave you. I-... why the hell am I even arguing with you. Fuck it. Believe whatever you want. Come on, I'll bring you back to the hospital room."

Iori fixed him with a glare and continued to shout whilst waving his bad arm incoherently. He was pale, clinging to his IV stand, and very obviously delirious. Kyo went over and attempted to help him up, but was slapped away.

 _Dammit… I should have just let him sleep…_

"Not ' _death'_ , you idiot! _Let me go!_ "

Kyo had him under the arms and dodged flapping elbow strikes as he dragged his rival backwards, toward the wheelchair. Iori was a good deal heavier than he looked, and the fact he was screeching and flailing didn't help matters. Kyo entertained his conversation through gritted teeth.

"Not death? Than wha- _ouch! Stop it dude!_ "

He'd been struck in the ear. His head rang. It seemed like his rival's tone had changed, but maybe it was just the impact to his brain. He quickly _almost threw_ Iori into the chair, and clapped a hand over his throbbing ear.

Iori continued jabbering away.

"I could kill IKARI, or repeat Istanbul, and I'm not doing Istanbul again. I'd kill IKARI to avoid that. That was the choice I made."

" _What?_ "

Kyo looked up, utterly confused. Iori's ramblings could become quite bizarre at times. He wasn't quite processing the words coming from his rival's mouth. His ear stung something awful.

 _İstanbul… does he mean-_

"I said I was sorry. I meant it. I've backstabbed you once… It won't happen again. What I did to IKARI was proof."

His voice grew quiet as he glared. Everything seemed to go silent.

"Proof to you... that no matter what, I'm… I'll be on your side. Doesn't matter how much IKARI helped me, or how good Kagura was to me, or my fucking family loyalty. I have priorities. I'll never betray you agai-..."

He suddenly looked embarrassed and turned towards the window. Kyo couldn't mask the shock in his expression. He had always known Iori was obsessed with him to a certain degree, but he merely wrote it off like the violent version of "fangirl-ing".

He had no idea how deep it ran.

 _I feel like he just confessed his love for me or something, heh._

It was weird. It was awkward. But for some reason, Kyo found himself breaking into a grin.

Because since the beginning of this whole ordeal, he had been afraid. Fear permeated his thoughts. All his actions were terrified. He was scared of the city, he was scared of the people, he was scared to fight, he was scared to run… he was numb and hopeless until Iori came for him two nights ago, to bail him out of that dreadful zombie-infested apartment.

And from that moment forth, he had a companion.

And not just any companion, his strongest Ally.

In the past, they had crushed mountains together. Nothing, not even the god of this world, could stand against them. They were strong, terrifyingly strong. Nigh invincible. It was foolishness for them to fear anything. They could raze a city.

But he had always thought Iori Yagami only teamed with him on some fragile throwaway whim. He felt no security in their collaboration, especially not after what had happened in the Istanbul Tournament.

 _But … I guess this changes things._

Iori, now, was the same man who had murdered his way across a continent for his sake. If Kyo could trust anyone, it was his rival. There was nothing random in his strikes against NESTS, nor his attacks against IKARI. He was always like this. Nothing had changed. His obsession. That _'benevolence'_ had remained steadfast over the years.

And now that Kyo could see it before his eyes, he no longer had anything to fear. They could take on the world if they needed to, just like before. And if he needed help, he didn't need to rely on some sly argument, or to get Chiz to pull some strings, or anything else. Iori would fight by his side despite everything.

He laughed his fear away.

The burden fled from his chest. It felt like something had reignited there.

He chuckled wryly and sauntered over to the wheelchair where Iori was perched. There was a spring in his step. The guilt that was tied about his heart had fallen away.

Iori glared at him.

"Hey dude, I know you're fucked in the head, but still, you should try and be nicer when you confess your feelings for someon- *Thunk*

" _OUCH DAMMIT! YOU BITCH!"_

Iori punched him in the other ear.

* * *

 _I'd punch him too._

 _Did yu see the theology?_

 _kk bie._


	37. UR MOM GAY

_Team Murder vs Team Chill when?_

* * *

Ralf's head was pounding.

Pounding from his recent concussion, yes, but also aching from utter rage.

He felt the blood coursing in his ears, and the heat in his face.

He stood.

His chair rolled backwards and hit the wall with considerable force.

He slammed his fist on the tabletop and opened his mouth to yell. Across from him the IKARI Commander gazed at him calmly. Clark sat there too, slumped in the rolling office chair, and looking bitter. Whip, whose eyes were red with irritation, stood at the end of the table, keeping guard over the Commander's briefcase.

"Commander! These fucks killed Thrall! What the hell do you mean ' _truce'?_ You're letting them off the hook? WHY!"

Ralf had always been a little rowdy, but never had he directly challenged the Commander like this. He was always mischievous, but respectful… but this was just too much. He had resorted to yelling.

"Has that Jap Bitch gotten into your _fucking_ head Commander? You want to ' _maintain the relation?'_ what the hell does that mean?! IKARI was _built_ on vengeance! Since when have we become some charitable organization, huh? We're not here to give our lives for no reason!"

He had lost colleagues before. Good, tough men who stood shoulder to shoulder with him on the battlefield. They were his brothers-in-arms, and whenever a member of IKARI was killed, woe to the enemy that struck him down. IKARI - aptly named - visited upon them fury. Mad fury. No enemy had yet to survive.

The Commander always did this. He would honor the lives of those placed under him, by ravaging those who dared lay hand on them. The strategy was also psychological - that those who dared oppose IKARI, would have to deal with not only their flawless military strategy and superior technology… but also their avenging spirits.

So _why_ in the world would the Commander stop short against these supposed ' _allies'_ who had turned to bite the hands that saved their lives! A group of traitors! Justice demanded they be punished. Justice demanded they die.

"And! And they were about to kill us all! They fucking took us hostage. They almost killed your fucking daughter, Heidern! And you're just gonna let that pass? Where are your balls! You're just gonna let these assholes stomp all over you… stomp all over us? Is that what we are to you?! Kill them! We'll go to war! It's only right!"

Ralf leaned over the table and glared silently. The Commander sighed and matched his wrath with a cool patience. His expression was slightly bored - as if he had already heard every word that was coming from Ralf a couple of times already.

"Jones. Sit and Listen."

Ralf growled, whirled and grabbed his chair. He slumped into it and crossed his arms. He stared suspiciously at his commanding officer, who had leaned forward to address him. His voice was firm and dry.

"How many of us should give our lives for the memory of one man?"

"What?! No, we can take them! They're in the west wing, unconscious. We can pop off their heads, easy. I'll fucking do it mys-"

The Commander raised his hand. Ralf - out of habit - fell silent.

"Fine. Assume you kill both. What about the third. Your ' _bitchy Jap woman'_. Do you think she's easy to handle?" Heidern solemnly motioned toward Clark, "Colonel Still can attest to that. Among the three, she's the most dangerous."

" _No me bolacees!_ Heidern! I passed her in the hallway! I'll butcher her myself!"

The Commander shook his head.

"She's not real. She's not so careless. But assume you've killed her. What then? The Three Sacred Treasures have died. Will you fight ' _god'_ in their stead _?_ You've fought Orochi before. You know our effectiveness, and you know the stakes. How much will you sacrifice to avenge Private Thrall? The entire world?"

Ralf sputtered. He hardly heard what the commander said.

" _Me chupa un huevo! Heidern!_ When somebody kills my men, I'll fucking kill him! I'll-"

*BANG*

Heidern stood, his chair rolled and hit the back wall loudly. Ralf flinched and clenched his teeth.

"Thrall's unit would have died ten times over if not for the Sacred Treasures, Major! Did you know, the only reason Clark made it out of Zimbabwe's POW camp alive was my connection with Chizuru Kagura? The person she lent me, and the person I sent, is currently laying in the west wing. Much of IKARI owes their lives to him."

Silence.

"Under my instruction, Iori Yagami has single handedly played a tremendous role in our operations. He's a tool we've used to kill hundreds of our enemies. Dare you destroy my investment? Think Clearly! Stop behaving like a child, and act your age!"

His tone changed. He had spent some time explaining, but now that time was over. He was no longer a counselor. He was the Commander. He spoke with utter authority. Ralf gritted his teeth. He knew better than to interrupt.

"As the Commander of IKARI, my goal is to preserve our members whilst fulfilling our goals. Going to war against the Sacred Treasures goes against my objectives. That is all. Have you anything to say, Major?"

Ralf shook his head mutely.

"Good. Dismissed."

* * *

* _-that's right. It's slowly coming apart and there doesn't seem to be any known cause. It doesn't seem to be breaking from within either. I've never seen anything like this Madame Kagura._ *

"Slowly coming apart? Unravelling? Surely not, we only re-did the deal a few years ago."

" _Apologies Madame. I cannot tell you the reason. We brought a medium to take a look at it, and she mentioned, let me read… quote: tens of thousands of tiny threads, pulling the seal apart. Then a single large force as well. Pulling from the outside. Endquote."_

"What does that mean."

" _The medium didn't seem to know herself. She seems to just be describing what she sees. I will continue to seek out other individuals with spiritual skills and get a second opinion on the matter."_

"Very good. Thank you."

She hung up the phone, and let her mind fly back to the IKARI base.

Chizuru sighed as she 'walked' through the military compound. Her remaining clones had long vanished, and she was now just using the one. Her main body was currently sitting in her office at the KP offices in Orlando (she had flown back with her medical team) and she was focusing all her attention on dealing with _that bastard Heidern._

As per usual, the Commander pushed a hard deal. He was the only person on earth who she held as an equal. How he managed to be effective - while also limiting himself according to his 'moral code' and 'troop loyalty', was a mystery to her. Speaking with him, striking deals with him… it just left a bad taste in her mouth. The old fox was cunning… he knew her supernatural manipulative abilities, so only made agreements via liaison and radio. She could mess with his representative as much as she wanted - but ultimately it was useless. His cunning matched hers.

Thus they came to a truce. A mutual agreement. A partnership that would benefit both parties.

KP would momentarily direct resources toward looking for a solution to the viral infection that had broken out in SouthTown. IKARI, with its extensive information network - which exceeded even Chizuru's - would search for the perpetrator and manufacturer of the infection. Commander Heidern was convinced the outbreak was related to the weakening of the seal and thus would not release Kyo and Iori until she agreed to his terms.

 _To solve the problem 'Holistically' he says… the old bastard has gone senile._

And the terms were this: That all information either party acquired pertaining to either the outbreak or the seal would be shared immediately with the other party. That Kyo and Iori would operate - by proxy - under IKARI's supervision, until the cure was discovered.

 _Humph… I was planning to pick them up and disappear, but I guess Heidern knows me too well. He wants me to do humanitarian work? Fine. I'll make short work of it…_

Chizuru realized she was wearing a scowl, and quickly fixed her expression. She had walked down the West Wing - all the while attracting looks of hatred from the IKARI staff - and approached where she knew Kyo and Iori were. From what she'd heard, they were once again on good terms - and were becoming less serious about their murder attempts. A relief to be sure.

 _I can't lose them quite yet… I have no solution for that…_

She clacked to a stop outside the only lighted hospital room in the long hallway. Bustle could be heard from the entrance of the west wing, but nobody traversed the hallways. Apparently Kyo had spent the entire day pushing his rival around the base in his wheelchair. She had caught a glimpse of them (doing god knows what) in the IKARI airfield from the window in the conference room.

She let out a long breath and tried to catch what they were talking about. Normally she could peek in on their thoughts from this distance, but her main body - and source of power - were too far at the moment. She had to judge the traditional way whether this was an appropriate time to interrupt.

" _-mom's gay"_

" _Well fuck you, also your dad's a lesbian."_

" _... your… your granny a tranny!"_

" _Uh shit, your sister..."_

Chizuru rolled her eyes and walked in.

* * *

 _ur sister a mister._

 _ur brother a mother._

 _ur Family tree LGBT_

 _Ur ancestors incestors_

 _etc..._


	38. The Strong Man Armed

_LUKE 11:21 for context. If you managed to catch the ref w/o looking it up props._

 _}:)_

* * *

"... so they spoke?"

"Yeah, they would just repeat stuff. It was really creepy. A lot like when this guy-" Kyo poked Iori with his foot, "goes nuts and starts eating people, right Yagami?"

"Could you die?!"

"What did they sa- _Stop it you two!_ "

Iori had hefted up his IV stand and swung to strike Kyo with it. It didn't have the intended effect, since Kyo merely cackled as the light aluminum bounced off his arm, so Iori heaved himself out of his wheelchair and hurled himself at the other man. That didn't pay off either, as he was put in a headlock almost immediately.

Chizuru Kagura sighed and pulled off her heels to sit cross legged on the hospital bed. She folded her arms as she watched her fellow treasures writhe around on the floor. Kyo had the upper hand, he always did - he was a much better wrestler and, frankly, was the only person on earth who could manhandle Iori Yagami without breaking a sweat. Physically, at least. Thankfully, Kyo had the good sense not to squeeze his rival unconscious - as was his custom. She didn't want to wait for him to wake up again.

"Kusanagi, Yagami, please calm down for just a moment. I need… "

"Oh my god dude, you suck balls. My girlfriend's better at wrestling than y- _ack! Have you got a fixation with punching me in the ear! What the hell man!_ "

"BITCH! FUCK OFF I'LL KILL YOU!"

"... Yagami! Listen a moment! Tell me wh-"

" _VETE A LA CHINGADA!_ "

"..."

They ignored her. If her main body was closer, she might have poked them in the brains to get their attention or otherwise just extracted the information directly, but alas, it was too dangerous for her real body to stay on the IKARI base. Although she and the Commander were generally on the same side - and worked together quite often, she usually considered him something of an enemy. Perhaps it was because she could not control him like she did others, and the lack of control made her anxious.

 _But at least these two… usually listen to me._

She huffed and turned her gaze back to the fighting duo just as Iori tapped out. He wasn't in good condition anyways. Chizuru had no idea why he even bothered. He had just recently regained use of his left arm, and had could barely walk unassisted. He was going to lose the fight, and he knew it. The fact he even attacked Kyo, meant he knew he wouldn't be killed.

 _That's good…_

Obviously they were on much better terms now than last year. The last time she saw them together was during the KOF in Paris, where they nearly killed each other in the ring. That was quite the far cry from where they were now… essentially sparring/goofing off. Something must have happened between them while they escaped SouthTown by which they reached a truce of sorts.

 _Well it doesn't matter either way._

As long as they were healthy and refrained from lunging at each other's throats, they were useful. Now, if only these two could stop fighting and concentrate for _ten seconds_ , she could get the information needed and hopefully solve the Commander's little virus problem.

Once that was done, she could attend to Orochi.

And once Orochi was handled, she could return to her life. She was the CEO of Kagura Pharmaceuticals and she had a million things to do. She had no time to waste, and the fact Kyo and Iori were wasting it was making her frustrated.

So if she picked up the pillow sitting over there and decided to hop into the two-man mosh pit on the hospital floor, several things would happen: 1) Kyo and Iori would stop fighting for fear of hurting her, 2) she could take out her stress on these two idiots, and they'd think it to be great fun, 3) It might confuse Heidern, who was surely watching via some hidden camera.

So, logical as always, Chizuru Kagura - graceful and refined - beat the hell out of her laughing comrades until feathers dusted the room.

* * *

* _I took blood samples from both, they're with your medical personnel if you want to run tests on your own. I have identical samples, and my people working on it now. I've notified the US government that I will assist with the classification of the virus, and they've sent me all of their data. Those poor bastards had no clue what they were doing - you're lucky to have me, Heidern. You better treat my boys well._ *

The IKARI commander closed his single eye and exhaled. Nobody on earth - not even his own daughter - dared show him this much disrespect. Nobody spoke to him the way Chizuru Kagura spoke to him. Five years ago, when she had just broken into the big leagues with her start-up pharmaceutical company, she treated him with the utmost reverence. Heidern could admit it, he had been fooled - he didn't even suspect she was anything but a pure-hearted woman who strove for the good of humanity. He had no idea how ruthless and utilitarian she could be.

But perhaps that was her strength. She was a master manipulator. A puppet-master of sorts. Always scheming, always pondering. Heidern was a battlefield tactician. He studied the landscape, the time of day, the technology, the troops, the political connections… and from a set of assumptions formed his battle plans. Chizuru Kagura did the same, except she fought her battles in the landscape of the mind. The power of the Yata mirror - a power derived from 'god' himself, made her fearsome, perhaps more fearsome than her two hellhounds. She toyed with minds, she manipulated thoughts and beliefs… and what is a person aside from his heart and mind? Yes, she subdued _people_ to fit her agenda.

She was the ' _strong man'_ who with silent power, kept her empire in peace.

So although Heidern disliked both her person and her methods, he had to give her a grudging respect. It was no understatement to say she was among the most powerful people on earth - at the tender age of 34 no less. Perhaps she was a genius? Maybe she thought she was god. Rather, had her ruthlessness paved her way to the top? Maybe her utilitarianism, which crushed human lives between it's unfeeling gears, flew her to her seat of power. Or even just her nature as an obsessively power-hungry woman…

Either way, she was vile. And in all his years, Commander Heidern had never seen _such wickedness,_ produce so much _good._

After all, Leona was alive today because of Chizuru's timely appearance. If not for her, perhaps all 28 men stationed here would have been burnt to crisp - with even their dog tags melted into unreadable puddles among the ashes.

So the Commander opened his eye back up, glanced at the camera to Leona's hospital room - where she was playing cards with Seirah - and addressed the woman on the phone.

"That's a given, Kagura. I'll treat them well. Now tell me what you think about this virus."

* * *

 _How scared would you be if Devilmom comes after you swinging the pillow of death? Btw, she's only like 5,6 while everyone else is a muscley giant lol. Kyo and Iori are afraid to fight her because they think she might break. She's nice to them :) they don't know her nastiness._

 _Iori always gets rekt by Kyo, man._

 _There will be More Daddy Heidern in future chapters. Last chap was Chiz complaining about Heidern. This chap is Heidern returning the favor._

 _peece_


	39. Lollipop

_I actually know my plot now lol. We can start... at chapter 39..._

 _Whatev._

 _More Riot being bae_

* * *

A man dressed in black sat bolt upright in a rough hewn chair. He had a strange appearance, one couldn't tell whether he was old or young. The roar of the Irish coast rolled in from the paneless windows. Wind blasted in, but the man seemed unaffected. He was holding an old spin-dial telephone to his ear and speaking calmly into it.

"Why hasn't the seal broken yet. Turning two of the three treasures should absolutely have collapsed it by now. Did Makishima fail?"

 _*Please be patient Sir Rimelo, doesn't make mistakes. We have tested the product extensively before release. It works. Judging from the state of the seal, we suspect at least one treasure is already under our influence.*_

The man's expression remained eerily flat. His voice was nearly monotonous.

"Had Crimson not betrayed us we would have already accomplish our goal… but he died for his failure. I recommend that you refrain from failing, it would directly affect your personal safety."

A woman's heavy european accent huffed over the phone.

 _*Don't you dare threaten the Doctor! He the foremost mind of this century and single handedly spearheaded the entire K-Project. You don't even know the foggiest thing about biochemistry or the science of the consciousnesses, you know so little you can't even ask an intelligent questio-*_

"Enough, Ms. Curry. This is our ultimatum."

The woman on the phone huffed again, but fell silent.

"We have already paid 25% of the agreed price upfront. The remaining funds will be wired to the Doctor's numbered account once we see results."

 _*What! That is not what we agreed upon! We were to be paid fifty percent at time of first deployment. Everything was successful and had gone according to plan, so abide by the rules!*_

Rimelo was unmoving as he replied to the shrilling in his ear. The man was completely expressionless. Perhaps he wasn't a human at all.

"You scientists think you hold all the power in the world. Yes, you get to play god with your little creations - but ultimately have no power outside of the laboratory. What will you do if we don't send you the money? Hunt us down? Kill us? No… you take what you get, Ms. Jolene Curry. Know your place."

 _*...*_

There was a moment of silence. The wind whipped more violently outside, but the man in black merely gazed at the cabin's blank wall as he spoke. Somehow a threat delivered with calmness was more terrifying than one delivered in a rage.

"Communicate this to the Good Doctor for me. Because of your assistant's treatment of us, as clients, we will be reducing our offer by twenty percent. Additionally, should our investment bear no fruit, we will take your lives as recompense. Do you understand?"

 _*...*_

"Fantastic. Good doing business with you Ms. Curry."

* * *

 _KING?_

Iori startled at the mental prod, his leg jerked and kicked the metal bedframe. He was _just_ about to doze off too.

"Fuck you want."

He spoke aloud because Kyo was next door sleeping. Hopefully it would wake the bastard up. It was evening and they had spent all day beating up on each other (just like old times) and were now sharing in some good ol' fashioned animosity. Even Kagura had showed up and participated in the fun. She was about as strong as she looked, and he didn't dare strike her for fear she'd shatter, but everything was just _better_ when Chizuru was around. He appreciated that she'd come, even though she sent a fake.

 _(Gurgling)_

"Dammit, Riot...You little bitch don't wake me up for nothing!"

… _(Gurgling)_

He sighed, and did his best to block the noise from his mind. The room was pitch dark save for the neon green emergency lights that glowed from the hallway. The light leaked in from beneath the door and Iori could just barely make out the details of his IV and tourniquet - which was still velcroed to his arm even though the bag was empty. Chizuru had said he didn't need it anymore, but - although it stung - he felt better with it in. He'd been dragging it around like a safety blanket and occasionally used it to attack people(Kyo).

He shut his eyes and let out a long breath.

Nobody was looking, so he allowed himself a smile.

Because as far as he was concerned, life was pretty good. He was no longer blind. The magic IV had fixed his janky arm. He could breathe pretty well, save the occasional bout of hiccups, and had been pumped with so much morphine, he was feeling positively euphoric.

His stomach hurt, but not because of the wound. He had just eaten too much.

IKARI, his current hosts, had always treated him pretty well, at least they had when he was working with them. They were a bit cold toward him this time, but so long as he got his smokes and prime rib, he was a happy camper. He wolfed down two pounds of it for dinner, blue. He didn't recall ever taking his steak that raw, but for some reason, he had just been _craving-_

His thoughts were rudely interrupted.

 _KING. HUNGRY._

He yelled aloud in response, keenly aware that his neighbor was likely becoming annoyed.

"What? Are you fuckin' kidding me? Do you know how much we ate?"

( _Gurgling)_

Riot hadn't really bothered him since they'd left the city. It seemed content to sit quietly and keep his headspace peaceful. In the back of his mind, Iori knew Riot was only cooperating because it had recently been allowed to claw its way through god-knows how many people. It was sated for now, but he had no idea how long it would be before it started causing trouble again. Either way, he would worry about that when it happened. It wasn't like he could prepare for it.

… _Maybe I'll ask Kagura about it. I-_

 _HUNGRY._

Iori gritted his teeth and snapped his eyes open to glare at nothing. He took a deep breath and hollered at the top of his lungs. He felt a twinge of satisfaction when he heard a thump from the wall he shared with Kyo. Looks like he woke up, and was pissed. Good.

"No!"

Something like a … _huff of frustration_ echoed in his head. If he had been paying attention, he might have noted Riot was essentially _Iori Yagami…_ and when Iori Yagami made that kind of noise, he was about to release hell.

Alas, he wasn't paying attention. He didn't do that too often anyways Instinct usually took care of him if there was any danger. He took the brief moment of silence at face value and rolled over to go back to sleep.

He shut his eyes, cuddled up, tried to relax-

...

Then almost clawed his own arm open as his cool silence was rudely broken by screaming chaos.

 _-What a worthless piece of trash you are, Yasakani! I own you, body and soul… you can't fight me, I'll crush your puny consciousness!… eat ea-_

"What the Fuck!?"

The cacophony of voices which broke out in his head startled him wide awake. He jolted in bed and smacked the top of his head against the bars of the bed-frame. He had clawed himself there a few days ago, so it _hurt._ The literal pain from his head compounded with the deafening noise which rattled between his ears was enough to drive him cross-eyed. He pinned his, now featherless, pillow over his ears and curled into a ball. He gripped his head through the fabric. He squeezed his eyes shut.

 _HUNGRY!… eat, eat, eat, eat… you're mine Yasakani! You've already betrayed them! The Magatama is already fighting for me, you haven't fallen yet, but I'll have you soon! You-_

"Dammit Riot, make them shut up!"

Riot didn't make them shut up. He was in there adding to the noise. The three of them were jabbering away, flooding his brain with nonsense. The voices began overtaking his thoughts and a familiar scratching began at the inside of his skull. He knew what that was. He knew it well. It was something he was desperate to avoid. He had been quite content with his life over the past few hours, but all of that was rapidly falling away as his vision began fading. He began to panic.

 _I'll crush you Yasakani. With your strength, I'll break free… you're a traitor, you're mine… eat...eat…_

"S-shit! Riot?!"

Iori gritted his teeth and tried to sit upright. The pain was growing more severe and was affecting his motor functions. He collapsed on his side. The voices in his head melded in and out of each other, increasing in volume and pressure... Then things started burning. He… he was losing it. His hearing was cut out. He didn't stand a chance.

"Riot! Hey! Riot?! Do something!"

 _HUNGRY_

The pain caused him to curl in on himself. He cradled his head in his arms and gasped into his elbows. He shouted at Riot, his voice echoing around the room. The burning was spreading from deep in his chest. Why wasn't Riot holding its part of the deal! It was supposed to take care of this sort of thing! This wasn-

 _HUNGRY. FOOD. EAT._

…

 _huh?_

He blinked.

The noise had stopped.

The pain had stopped.

Everything had stopped.

 _what?_

Iori frowned and uncurled his fingers from around the bars in the bedframe. He struggled to sit upright. His forehead was slick with sweat and his vision blurred as he looked around the room.

 _What was that?_

The Blood Riot never just passed like this… unless Chizuru sealed him, or Kyo roasted him - but neither of them were here. So… _what was that? Did I… did just imagine that? Was it a dream? No way I-_

 _HUNGRY!_

"...haah… shaddup, Riot. I'm thinking."

As quickly as it came, the symptoms of the Blood Riot had disappeared, leaving him feeling relieved, but tired, and sick as all hell. He felt like he needed to go hurl…then take a long nap. He didn't know what had saved him this time, but it was something he ought to tell Chizuru next time he saw her. He had agreed to update her periodically on his condition, so maybe it was about time he actually follow through with that promise. He'd leave her some obscure message tomorrow morning.

 _I wonder how many secretaries she has. I bet she gets hundreds of calls a da-_

 _HUNGRY._

 _No, wait until tomorrow._

 _*Huff*...(Gurgling)_

…

…

- _I AM_ _god himself! You cannot resist me you puny pathetic piece of garbage! You-_

He almost fell out of bed. The screaming came back as if someone had plugged in the main AUX at a concert. The pain returned full force, punching him in the brain. He flailed and shouted, but this time, Iori was more bewildered than anything.

 _-the Kusanagi too! Don't you want to sink your teeth into him? Make him bleed! Hahaha! Don't you want to eat… eat… eat… ea-_

 _What the hell is happening?!_

If his brain was functioning in any meaningful capacity, Iori might have connected this chain of epileptic seizure with the entity which controlled them - and had been complaining about food for the past fifteen minutes.

Unfortunately it was too busy wrestling with itself to think properly. The notion the Riot was intelligent enough to use his condition to ' _shock'_ him into doing it's bidding never crossed Iori's mind.

Well, it didn't the first three times.

The fourth drove him out of bed and down to the kitchens to raid the IKARI meat freezer.

* * *

 _Riot's a fatass, you think he's gonna eat that steak frozen? just crunch into it like a lollipop? lol_

 _that's nasty. It's canon now._

 _sorry this chap took so long XD_


	40. Wind-Up Weapon

_Heidern's Patience vs Iori's idiocy._

 _who wins?_

 _It's not a battle you can win, lol. Everyone loses._

* * *

 _*No ma'am. It doesn't seem to be a pathogen at all. Neither the blood or the biopsies contain anything that could be considered the cause of the infection. We tested all the samples, including those belonging to Yagami and Kusanagi.*_

"Any abnormalities? Perhaps you didn't find a bacteria, but it's impossible that everything is normal!"

Chizuru Kagura sat at her desk and rubbed her fingers against her temples. She had flown the red-eye back to Japan and was back in the office. She had the laboratory on floor 5 on speakerphone and her highly paid scientists were disappointing her.

"...Please tell me you have _something._ Many lives lie in our hands."

 _*Of course Madame Kagura, uh… let me see here… *_

Last night, once she got out of the meeting room with Heidern's liaison, she contacted the Department of Homeland Security about the infection in SouthTown. Apparently it was fairly localized, consuming PortTown and SouthTown central. There were a few passenger flights that contained infected individuals, but they were caught and contained before much harm could be done. As of now, the government was doing it's best keeping things under wraps, but it was difficult with an estimate of forty thousand people affected. They and Heidern both wanted this infection figured out as soon as possible.

 _At least someone is being_ _helpful… I questioned the boys about the virus and all they had was details about the gibberish the infected spouted... haah... Gammy even told me about some new voices in his head... I wish he weren't so dull._

The US Government happily took her up on her offer to help, and readily provided her with their tissue samples. Last night she had them sent to her labs to be biopsied and was expecting to have the source isolated by today. Unfortunately, her scientists were having trouble. It seemed they were making no progress. That was bad.

 _Dammit! This was supposed to be an open and shut! The only reason I even agreed to this was because I was pretty sure it was a variation of rabies, and we already have a cure for that. Looks like it's going to be more difficult… It needs time. Time I don't have, and time Orochi won't give… dammit._

That bastard Heidern had tasked her with solving his virus, and would only return her boys after she found a cure. She needed them to repair the rapidly crumbling seal, and it was possible she might not be able to hold her end of the deal. When dealing with anyone else, she might simply use the weight of her influence to get her way, but with Heidern, she needed to play by the rules. If her scientists couldn't pull this off… well, she'd give them a few more day. Hopefully the seal would last that long.

 _Thursday today… I'll pay them overtime for the weekend and hopefully Monday-_

Akira, her head of research operations, took that moment to interrupt her thoughts.

* _Ah, yes ma'am. We found a similarity in all the blood samples which are confirmed to be from infected individuals. All exhibit signs of acidosis._ *

"Acidic blood?… Doesn't Gamm- _ehem-_ Yagami suffer a similar condition? What's the PH."

 _*5.8, ma'am. It's no normal natural illness. I'm inclined to compare it to Yagami's blood, which is at … 4.5. Heh. Frankly I'm not sure how he's alive, you should let me do an examination on him. The medical community has been itching to-*_

"Enough Akira. Is Kyo's sample acidic?"

 _*No ma'am. But at least let us do and MRI on him-*_

"Fine. Find me a cure and I'll let you have him. Anything else to report?"

 _*Really!? Well then I'll be working overtime… ah, Nothing else to report at the moment. We're still running tests. I will update you concerning developments.*_

"Very good. Thank you, Akira."

*Click*

* * *

"Yagami."

"What do you want, Heide- _OW, fuck you Kusanagi!_ "

The commander did his best not to look flabbergasted as Iori Yagami, from behind his overturned bed, reached _into_ the hospital wall and threw a chunk of sheetrock at his rival. Kyo was at the other end of the room shooting flaming spitballs from a straw he had pilfered from the kitchen. He dove out of the way as the plaster came flying at him, and dropped the roll of toilet paper, which served as his ammo.

… _He behaves so much worse when he's with Kusanagi… haah…_

The IKARI commander momentarily regretted his decision to hold Kyo and Iori while Chizuru worked on the infection. It was a deeply risky move on his part, after all, the reason the Sacred Treasures had attacked IKARI in the first place was because they thought they were being held hostage. _Actually_ holding them hostage immediately afterwards was frankly idiotic.

But Commander Heidern was convinced the outbreak was connected to the weakening of Orochi's seal, and he wanted the woman to look into it. In order to force her hand, he needed some leverage. If only Chizuru considered his proposition at face value - and it was a quite a reasonable proposition - he wouldn't need to do any this.

But alas, the woman hated him so much she would reject any idea he brought forth. He needed to force her to move, and to do that, he needed to keep Kyo and Iori locked up here.

The tricky part was holding them prisoner without them knowing it. Not because they couldn't entertain themselves - they were quite good at that - but because the IKARI troops on site were extremely uncomfortable with Kyo Kusanagi's presence. Strangely enough, even though Iori was the one who killed an IKARI member, the troops didn't seem to take an antagonistic stance against him. Perhaps because they had seen him kill so many of their enemies? Or perhaps because they knew he was easily manipulated? Maybe a bit of both.

As far as they were concerned, Iori Yagami was merely a weapon. With a little bit of prodding, the man could be wound up and sent out to fight whoever IKARI needed him to. The recent disaster was merely Kyo Kusanagi doing the same. They blamed Kyo for the crisis, and thus avoided the pair like the plague.

 _Which is not good…_

Unlike Iori, who was quite simple, Kyo displayed an impressive insightfulness. Should the IKARI troops treat the pair coldly, or otherwise avoid them altogether, Kyo was bound to get suspicious… and the last time Kyo got suspicious he crushed Leona's throat.

 _Speaking of which…_

"Yagami!"

Iori was too busy screaming to hear him.

" _I'm gonna eat your guts!"_

" _What kind of threat is that!? Haha… Oy! Get away! And stop swinging that thing you're gonna tear your vein open!"_

The commander stood in the center of the doorframe and tried to hide his exasperation. He had no idea why his daughter liked Iori, but she had begged him to fetch the man so she could speak with him. He hadn't seen her show that much emotion in a long while, and Leona looked like she needed cheering up after her recent surgery. That was the only reason he was even here, being ignored by an insane red-haired nuclear weapon.

"Yagami!"

The half melted bedframe flew across the room.

He sighed.

If it were anyone else, Heidern would take being ignored as a sign on disrespect - but with Iori, it was likely he had actually forgotten the commander was standing there. Kyo had seen him, and looked like he was trying to bring the situation back into seriousness. His eyebrows seemed to wander around his forehead as he spoke, making his expression easy to read. He didn't seem suspicious of anything at the moment, just a little embarrassed at his rival's behavior.

That was good. The longer Kyo remained pacified, the better things were for IKARI.

" _Sorry Com… Oy Yagami does the guy even speak Japanese? How do you say 'excuse me' in English."_

" _Kill yourself._ "

" _Bruh."_

* * *

 _Blood PH hangs around 7.35-7.45. It's a buffer that self regulates very slightly basic. You go outside these ranges and bad shit starts to happen. Low PH = acidic, High PH = Basic._

 _You don't survive with a Blood PH of 5.8, much less 4.5_

 _probably why the insects don't drink it lol._

 _name the chapter_


	41. Shakespearean Conspiracy

_Leo being awk. :)_

* * *

It was three in the afternoon on the IKARI base, and the hospital hallways were bustling. Much of the IKARI staff, with the exception of the comatose pilot, were being discharged today and the place was emptying out quite rapidly. Leona could hear the conversation of the colleagues flow past her room from the hallway. Normally some members might poke their heads in to see how she was doing, but not today.

… _maybe this was a mistake._

She had specifically and vehemently insisted that nobody disturb her this afternoon, and IKARI tended to give her the space she required. She was here, alone, sweating and staring deeply into the blank wall ahead of her, and trying not to cast sidelong glances at the room's other occupant.

 _He knows me… right? I mean… then why isn't he saying anything?…_

She had met Iori Yagami once before… a long time ago during a KOF tournament where he had utterly and effortlessly crushed her in the arena. Ever since then she had become a little obsessed with the man. Starting last year, she had begun observing him via satellite and other... rather _invasive_ means.

Now that she finally got a chance to spend some time with him one-on-one, she was so excited about it that she hadn't even considered what to say once she got ahold of him. Now, she was wishing she had written some bullet points or something, because the awkward silence was palpable.

 _Is… is there something on my face? I… should I say something?_

Her hands were clammy and cold as she gripped the sheets covering her lap. There seemed to be a low buzz in the air, which was frequently interrupted by the occasional set of footsteps and conversation. Otherwise, they sat in silence.

She didn't remember the last time she felt so nervous.

Last month she ran a solo assassination in Romania to take out a supposed member of ' _Those from the Past_ '. She had gone in undercover, and in the end her target eluded her and ran, but regardless it was one of the most dangerous missions she had ever undertaken. It was certainly the most stressful - but even then she didn't remember feeling as badly as she did now.

Because _Iori Yagami_ was trying to peer into her soul.

He wouldn't say anything either. He was just looking her dead in the eye as if she was some sort of math equation he needed to solve. He had borrowed some bobby pins from the nurses to pin his hair back. Leona could see his brow wrinkled in apparent confusion.

 _Is… is there something on my face?! What is he looking at… this isn't how he normally behaves._

Two minutes ago she watched her father direct the red-haired man to her room. The commander had likely spent a good while lecturing Iori on appropriate conduct around her, but it looked like he didn't care. He was flustered and bruised and was ranting and raving so loudly that she could hear him from the other end of the hallway as he approached. However the moment the door opened and he caught sight of her, he abruptly went silent.

That made her nervous.

 _Did…is he mad at me?... He doesn't look mad..._

Leona had expected him to behave relatively normally when he arrived in her hospital room. Just to be loud and bombastic like he normally was! Perhaps he would start ranting to himself? Talk to a wall? Talk to her? Thank her for saving him? Apologize for hurting her? Try and kiss her in gratitude? _Climb in under the sheets an-_

She blinked.

Well none of that was happening.

In fact, not much was happening at all.

And at this point, Leona _wished_ he would get up, start yelling, and blow his way out of the room, because it was probably better than _nothing._ The silence was just too uncomfortable.

 _Breathe… ugh…_

Normally Leona Heidern couldn't care less if she appeared awkward to other people. All she needed was the mission. She could plant her heart and soul on it. She could ignore everything else, and, for a time, live with a single goal in mind. Her obsession with the objective helped silence the wayward voice which babbled in her head.

But today there was no mission

… and she cared _immensely_ what Iori Yagami thought of her.

… and, she was certain she wasn't making a good impression.

Because Iori had been here a couple of minutes already and they hadn't exchanged a single word. The entire room was wrapped in a thick and _terribly awkward_ silence. The red-haired man was situated on a standard issue folding chair with a blank expression on his face. His arms were crossed over his chest. He was hooked to an IV bag, and didn't seem to know, or care, that it was empty.

He stared at her.

Leona squirmed beneath that flat gaze.

She fidgeted uncomfortably. Never before had she been self-conscious about her appearance, but at this moment she wished she had applied a bit of that mascara the women's team had gifted her last KOF.

 _Does he think I look bad?... or good? Is he even looking?...I.. I think I look good… ugh. Maybe I should ask-, ack! No. That's inappropriate. He'll think I'm weird._

She swallowed hard.

 _He definitely already thinks I'm weird for not saying anything. Okay, uh… but what can I say after five minutes of nothing?! Ohhh… this is awful…_

Leona looked down at her lap and smoothed the blanket down for the thirtieth time. She was sitting upright in her hospital bed and doing her best not to fidget. She was beginning to regret asking her father to bring Iori here, because surely he thought it was weird she hadn't said anything yet. But how could she? She had no idea what to say. She didn't talk much normally anyways, and frankly didn't know how to hold a proper conversation, much less a conversation with her longtime crush.

 _This is so embarrassing… the commander told him I wanted to speak with him, but… ugh. I bet he hates me for wasting his time. Should I just apologize? What do I do?_

As long seconds ticked by, her embarrassment began turning to despair. Meeting your Rock Star crush wasn't supposed to be this way.

 _No… he… he thinks I'm weird… It's been … ugh… I need to say something, What do I say?_

The passing seconds seemed to drag into eternity, nobody said a word. Leona dipped her chin against her chest and took a couple of deep breaths. She glanced out the side of her eye. Iori hadn't moved either. He was still looking at her, but his expression was becoming unfocused.

 _Okay… ask him how he likes the base… wait, no… that's… ug-_

...

 _Say… say something about the hospital… yeah… It'll be so weird though._

...

' _Are the nurses treating you alright'... something like that? No..._

…

 _Ugh, it's better than nothing… but what if he just says, 'they treat me okay'... what then?!_

…

 _Okay, whatever, just say it. 'Are the nurses treating you alright', okay go!_

She took a deep breath. Her heart pounded in her throat. It ached slightly from the surgery, but at this point she was hardly aware of it. So swore she was sweating puddles into her sheets.

"Ar-"

She startled as a deep voice interrupted her.

"I'm glad I found someone else who appreciates the silence."

She was shaking. She nodded. Her reply was scarcely a whisper.

"Y-yeah. Me too."

* * *

A Eurasian woman with an old-Egyptian style haircut strode through a crowd. She was dressed strangely, wearing nothing but a fox-headed scarf and a set of shorts. What was supposedly her top was stuffed into her waistband and swinging behind her as she made her way down the main avenues.

All about her well dressed men and women milled about in top hats, canes and evening gowns. The ladies wore veils and tiny hats. The men wore gloves and three piece suits. Nobody batted an eye at the Egyptian woman, and she walked past them - even bumping into them, without being noticed in the least regard.

Her voice held a heavy Persian accent, and she seemed to speak with a lilt of old English. She sighed into the cellphone as she sashayed down the boulevard, bouncing as she walked.

 _*-more and Orochi will be out. All this rides on Makishima, and if his curse is as good as he says it is. It has already been three days since first deployment so I'm tempted to think one or both targets have escaped SouthTown.*_

"Wast there any news conc'rning the matter?"

 _*No, which makes me suspicious. Perhaps their allies assisted them. If they broke out by force, the government would have definitely captured them. It looks like your Quarantine idea didn't work as planned*_

"Do not mock me, Rimelo! Where thou hast failed, I have succeed."

 _*Oh? you've found the gate?*_

"Aye. Tis' been sealed by the bastard Crimson. Our master is lock'd inside."

 _*When is he.*_

"May 9,1654. The seal is powerful and is split by dimensions. No person can breaketh it, save one. Thou knowest to whom I refer."

 _*... I understand. Proceed according to your plan. Soon we will rule the earth as god.*_

* * *

 _Botan just lets it swing._

 _:)_

 _Literally used 'shakespere translateor' Then went back and tuned it down a bit so I's easier to understand_


	42. Sign Here Please

_IKARI BROS!_

 _Also, from Last chapter Rimelo is not an OC._

 _I found him on the SNK wiki page._

* * *

Sobbing emitted from the screen.

Ralf cursed beneath his breath.

Yesterday, while he was laying in bed with a concussion, the US government had sent several drones into the quarantined area to observe the landscape. They had forwarded the tape to IKARI for review without much comment, and the Commander had asked him to watch and takes notes on it for him. He had agreed. Besides, it was just like watching a long movie, right?

Wrong.

 _*A camera!? Look, David! Wave it down!... David? DAVID! Jack, where's David!*_

The images were gruesome. The suffering was palpable. While they were a raging and faceless mob, it was easy to categories the infected people as 'monsters'. The infection seemed to drive them mad when they sensed untainted human blood… but when nobody was around, they reverted back to normal...

Or as least as normal as they could be in such terrifying conditions.

 _*Lorraine? Oh, Dave went to the hospital to look for more equipment. Is the kid oka-... oh shit.*_

The ground was carpeted in bodies. They had died from the Sarin strike three days ago, and the flies were eating them. The infected who were still alive seemed to be operating in full capacity. This drone had stumbled across a group of four… now three who had holed up in a tire store near a hospital. A woman - Lorraine had deep lacerations on her arm, which had been clumsily stitched together. She held a child in her lap. It looked like he had slowly died from the horrible burn which wrapped about his chest and back. Ralf couldn't help but notice the telltale rippling pattern on the injury. It was like a signature.

Iori tended to blast his opponents apart… No corpses could be withdrawn from his flames, they became nothing but white ash.

Kusanagi flames however… they offered a slower, more pathetic death. Ralf himself almost fell victim to them, and seeing what he might have become caused rage and grief to rise in his chest.

For the man who killed this boy was, at this moment, joyfully bouncing around the hospital like an overgrown toddler. They had been given all they needed. Chizuru Kagura and come down for their sakes. The Commander himself had negotiated for them as well. The lives of himself and his men were merely pawns for the ' _higher powers'_ to hold custody of these two _bastards!_

And yet, whilst they enjoyed the attention of the world, their poor victims fell along the wayside, crying for help.

 _Disgusting… the injustice in this world..._

The drone approached the group and the members were brought into sharper focus. Each suffered some significant injury which looked like it should have infected and killed the hosts ages ago. Strangely enough, nobody - even in their most egregious wounds - seemed to be sustaining any infection whatsoever. Despite the wounds being 'clean', nobody liked to the look at the insides of others. Ralf winced and wished the camera quality was worse.

Lorraine began wailing.

 _*Jake, he's dead! My baby… ohhh… my baby… the camera! Tell them we need help! quickly!*_

 _*What?! Where!*_

 _*Floating, Jake! It's a drone! Ack, forget it. Move…*_

The woman staggered to her feet and walked laboriously to the forefront. She looked tired and her cheeks had sunken in. She carried the burned corpse of her child as he approached. Tears streamed from her eyes as she pleaded to the camera. She was the very picture of grief. It caused Ralf's heart to shake. He squeezed his fingernails into his armrest as he watched, expression grim and silent.

 _*Hello!? Please If anyone can hear me… I never wanted to attack anyone! It's not us doing it! We would never hurt other people, it's just … it's just this damn voice!… but… But even though we're sick, please, we're still people! We're suffering and we're hungry and dying. Help! Please help! Give us something, I beg you! We can't hold on any longer!*_

Ralf steeled his gaze and stared resolutely at the screen.

The US had parsed the travel time from the drone footage.

This time, it was a family. Three teenagers and their parents. The father was missing his left eye and the youngest wore the Kusanagi's trademark burn across his face…

Ralf covered his face and snarled into his palms. In his mind's eye, he saw Kyo Kusanagi grinning at him, waggling his stupid eyebrows without a care in the world. _Just_ who did that man think he was?! Would the arm of justice ever reach him? Would he ever pay for his crimes?

 _Unlikely. Fuck… damn Kusanagi..._

Thrall's death had planted the seeds of hate in his heart.

Now, those seeds were bursting to life.

* * *

Whip sighed and leaned her forehead against her palm.

Yesterday's long day had spilled into this one as she continued to scurry about the IKARI-US joint military base like a headless chicken. So many things had to be done in such a short time. A thousand people needed to be contacted. A thousand people needed to be met. If Whip didn't know better, she would think IKARI were a understaffed marketing firm, as opposed to a mercenary force.

Because as of yesterday, IKARI's entire analyst and information network has been working overtime to discover the source of Southtown's mysterious infection. The commander had a hunch that the virus was a result of foul play, and so far, none of Heidern's hunches had ever been wrong.

 _Ugh… there's too many people to look into!_

He had suspected that: 'the infection breaking out a mere day after Kyo Kusanagi arrived in SouthTown', 'Orochi's seal weakening shortly afterwards', and the apparent similarities between the symptoms of the Blood Riot and those of the virus, meant this entire thing was some sort of conspiracy. Currently they were investigating every firm that had the bioengineering capacity to create something like this. Understandably, Kagura Pharmaceuticals - _the world's top bioengineering firm_ \- was among the chief suspects, but she would never let herself be investigated. Thus, in order to ensure her cooperation, IKARI was holding Kyo and Iori in the hospital's left wing.

 _She would never kill forty thousand people… and she certainly won't want to break open Orochi's seal either! It was completely unnecessary. After all, although she's a bit of a bitch, I doubt she's evil… It could someone inside the company she doesn't know about?_

Whip gritted her teeth and glared at her computer screen as a list of three-hundred odd firms populated. She was calling them each in turn and trying her best to speak with their Laboratory directors. She merely needed to carefully gauge how advanced they were, and order them by ways of ability to see if they warranted a visit.

 _Novartis still has me on hold… Pfizer has been bouncing me between departments for half an hour now… ugh. Maybe I should just fly to Germany myself and teach them a lesson? What do you think Voodoo? No… no…_

Whip smiled through gritted teeth and let her violent thoughts settle down.

After a long moment, she was back to work. Somehow, though, she felt this list was ultimately futile. All about her, other members of the team seemed the reflect the same sentiment. Everyone had the same thought.

 _It's somebody from within KP or from NESTS… but NESTS… are there even any operating bases anymore? I swear all of them are gone… then again, we were ignorant of the Icelandic base for years until Kagura was kidnapped… Could there be mor-_

*BEEP*

Novartis hung up on her. She almost crushed the ten-key pad as she redialed them.

 _KP, NESTS, KP, NESTS… ugh… the two parties we can't investigate. This is all useless. Kagura herself doesn't want to break the seal, but what if one of her employees hates her? What then? And NESTS sure hates her as well… but would they destroy the world just for that?_

The fact Chizuru Kagura hasn't called yet crowing victory, vaccine in hand, meant the virus was either an inside job, or incredibly complex. It was common knowledge she had hired all the best minds in the field - either directly, or by proxy, and the fact _they_ hadn't figured this out yet was making the analyst team increasingly suspicious. Clearly the creator had a method to avoid detection, or was among the top mind in pathological sciences.

 _The best scientist's can't fly under the CEO's radar though…but somebody completely unaffiliated wouldn't be able to avoid all the test, right?… is there somebody so advanced that even KP can't identify their handiwork? Maybe an ex-NESTS scientist? Mayb-_

 _*Welcome to Novartis, the world's most trusted pharmaceutical firm. Currently all of our representatives are busy. We thank you for your patience.*_

Whip shut her eyes as the Novartis ' _on hold'_ jingle began playing into her headset. She was no medical expert, but she had seen her fair share of biological weapons, both at her time at NESTS, and from the investigative side with IKARI. She knew, more than others, the trademarked cruelty of NESTS' projects. This virus… did it feel like _that man's_ handiwork?

 _A virus that is most concerned about spreading itself… exhibits symptoms of rabies. Transfers via blood… Maybe…_

Maybe it was her creato-... _NO._

Not her creator. That was nonsense… He wasn't anything like that.

He… _she HATED him._

She hated that Makishima. She hated him with every fibre of her being. The image of his face brought forth everything she wanted to forget about her past. All her suffering, all the loneliness, all the-...

 _Doesn't matter._

… He had died years ago.

He had to be, otherwise she would have never been able to strike into a new life. The death of her creator freed her. She was no longer a mere ' _clone'_... She was real. She was a person. Not ' _AF120210-C' the first successful project from Cloning method B._

 _Dead._

Iori Yagami had dropped the NESTS base he was stationed at into the sea. There were no survivors, he had rotted long ago…

 _But… but why?_

Why did this infection look like it had his name written all over it?!

* * *

 _Yeet._

 _Maybe go back to Leona's awkward conversation next chap. whatev_


	43. Me and the Devil Blues

_Sweet half-romances for you guys. David Tai helped with this chapter._

 _From now on, if you ever see anything remotely sweet in anything I write you can attribute it to him. He's much nicer to my characters than I am :)_

* * *

 _BLUE._

 _Yeah, I know Riot._

 _BLUE KICK._

 _I said I know._

 _KICK ME._

"I know she kicked you, could you let it go?"

…

Leona raised her head to look at him. He blinked.

Then shrugged.

She nodded in - what he assumed - was silent understanding, then looked back down at her hands.

Once again the room was silent.

And he appreciated that.

It had been like this for about twenty minutes now, and Iori was frankly enjoying himself. He hated holding two conversations at once, and the fact Leona seemed content to sit there and not say anything allowed him to direct his attention to the voice whining in his head.

 _Remember the cloud? The one where I couldn't breathe?_

 _CLOUD._

 _She bailed us out of that, so let it go. We could have died._

 _SAVE? DIE?_

 _Yeah._

 _…_

 _Are we good?_

 _OKAY._

"Good."

Leona side eyed him again. He tapped his temple. She nodded. He leaned back into his chair and shut his eyes. Riot continued speaking in his head. His voice was very peculiar - as if there were two people speaking at once. One of those voices was definitely his. The other? he wasn't sure.

 _BLUE FRIEND._

 _Yeah. Don't attack her._

 _FRIEND._

In this situation, most people would ask him, _'what the hell was wrong with you. Are you talking to yourself?!'_ However, today he was in the company of one of the only people alive who shared his affliction. Although a couple of people understood his condition on a superficial level, Leona Heidern was probably the only person who had actually experienced his struggles.

So he was quite comfortable not uttering a word as they sat. Maybe she was talking to her own Riot. If so, he didn't want to disturb her. If she had given him the silence he required, he'd offer her the same respect. He decided to take the time to pick Riot's extraordinarily shallow brain for a moment.

 _Oy Riot. Doesn't Leona also have… like a version of you?_

 _ME?_

 _Yeah._

 _ME BLUE. ME._

 _… uh. Yeah. Does she have a Riot that talks like you?_

 _BLUE._

He sighed and leaned back into his folding chair. He had learned several things about Riot over the past few days. Firstly, it had a fairly relaxed personality when it wasn't itching to murder something. Secondly it was quite happy to let him go about his normal life so long as it's bloodlust was sated. The chaos in SouthTown was enough to keep Riot happy for a long while, but once that wore off… _I don't really know what to do then…_

Finally, Riot wasn't too good at speaking. It spoke mostly in singular words and sometimes just made unintelligible gurgling. Holding a conversation seemed to tire it. Usually it 'fell asleep' after a couple of verbal exchanges. He was slowly learning Riot's thought processes, but even so, he only understood about half of what his split personality said. He could generally gauge it's feelings - since they shared a brain - but otherwise it was profoundly confusing.

 _BLUE ME, YES BLUE. SMALL._

 _...Yeah, Alright thanks…_

 _TIRED._

 _Okay._

Riot went quiet and everything went peaceful. He took a moment to enjoy the silence, something Kyo Kusanagi gave him none of… _bastard_ … He adjusted his IV and leaned forward in his chair to look at Leona. He wasn't sure if she was still busy or not, but he wanted to ask her about her 'Riot'. After all, there was nobody else he could ask… and Heidern said she wanted to talk to him, right?

He blinked at her, then tapped his temple again.

She seemed to understand and met his gaze, raising one gloved hand and mimicking a 'flapping lips' while the other hand did its impersonation of a wall.

Huh. That was actually a pretty good imitation of what was going on in his head. She -might- indeed have a sense of it.

Iori gave an almost conspiratorial smirk. One that said, _You too, huh?_

She made a so-so gesture. _Only sometimes._

Right. That's what Riot meant. Blue small.

Iori held his hands up in a ' _What can you do'_ gesture.

She shook her head. He caught the vague confusion on her face.

Ah well, the silence was nice while it lasted.

"Can you talk?"

"Y-yes!"

"Then talk to me."

And she did.

* * *

 _Leo sat there in dreadfully awkward silence for twenty straight mins without breaking down. Yag was like, this is kinda nice. Leo is like... holy shit he think's i'm weird._

 _Until he starts doing charades :)_

 _This is for U jojo. I'll follow you on your train._

 _(But you have to admit, BrianXYag is funnier(stupider))_


	44. Victory through Chaos

_Finally ch 44 :) moving along moving along_

* * *

Kyo Kusanagi was nervous.

Iori had been gone for about forty minutes and Kyo was well aware his flames, unlike his rival's, would do nothing to safeguard him against machine-gunfire.

After all, he was in the middle of enemy territory, in enemy custody, and his hosts weren't happy with him. Unfortunately, Chizuru had asked him to stay here until she figured out the virus, and he thought that was a terrible idea. After his faux-terrorist plot, he had probably made an enemy out of IKARI. He didn't want to piss Chizuru off either...but he really didn't want to be here… not alone at least.

 _Dammit Chiz… ugh, you're too trusting of these guys…_

IKARI - as an organization - probably wouldn't try to take revenge, but what is someone went rouge and decided to pay him a visit with a bullet to the skull? What then? Was it better not to risk it? Maybe he should cut loose and run?

 _If I run, then they'll definitely shoot me… just hurry on back here, Yagami…_

The way Kyo saw things, the only reason Chiz had stuck them here was to get medical treatment for Iori. But for the past day or so, the red haired man had been healthy enough to spar toe to toe with him. Granted, he still carried that stupid IV around, but Kyo was convinced it was more of a safety blanket than anything else.

So if Iori was healthy, that meant there was really no reason for them to be here, right?

 _Chiz would probably clear us by now… but she's gone and disappeared somewhere… I sorta want McDonalds… haaah… I wish they would give me my phone back._

Kyo sighed and threaded his fingers behind his head. He hadn't spoken to his girlfriend… or anyone really, all week. For whatever reason, he wasn't allowed to contact the outside. That was per Chizuru's request, otherwise he would have likely burned his way out of here long ago.

 _What the hell is so secret that I can't even call Yuki?!... I mean, honestly I guess I should call mom and dad, but they don't care anyways. I-_

Kyo opened his eyes as he heard familiar footsteps and the clink of an aluminum IV stand tapping against the linoleum floor. He smirked and perched up on his elbows to watch Iori enter from the other side of… ' _their'_ room. Over the past few days, Iori used most of the connecting wall as ammo in their 'flaming spitball' fight, and the debris was long burned and swept away. They were now unintentionally sharing a room, and naturally Kyo was going to capitalizing on Iori's discomfort with anything remotely homosexual.

The door smacked into the back wall loudly - it had been kicked open - and Iori marched through with a less-sour-than-usual look on his face. Something good must have happened. Kyo grinned.

"Heard you went to talk to Leona. How was it?"

Iori blinked and shrugged.

"Good? None of your business."

"Awww, Yagami. Are you cheating on me?"

"What? No-" He seemed to realize the ramifications of his answer and put on his murder face. Kyo couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh, that's a relief. I'd be heartbroken."

Iori curled his lip and slammed his IV assertively on the floor as if it were a cane. It looked really dumb. Kyo grinned at him and waited for the inevitable response. As always, he had the perfect counter.

"Fuck you, Kusanagi."

"So like apology sex?"

...

There was a strangled scream as the cot was sent flying across the room for the thirtieth time that day.

* * *

 _*The money trail leads to somewhere in the Middle East, sir, were still pinpointing.*_

"NESTS? I thought we did a clean sweep of the area."

 _*Looks like they flew under the radar. Perhaps Madame Kagura didn't know of this locale?*_

"Possibly. Carry on."

Commander Heidern sighed and turned to step out of the analysts' room. They were narrowing their search on the source of the infection. Apparently there was a tipoff on a bio-hazardous package being received several days before the outbreak, which was traced through several shipping companies, only to land in Qatar's largest City, Doha.

The IKARI team was slowly but surely tracking them down, and would soon have an exact location of the culprits. They were making good progress.

On the other hand, it didn't look like Chizuru Kagura could claim the same. Normally she was all bravado with her accomplishments, but it had already been two days and there was no progress report. Although Heidern couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction that his team was doing better than her's, the fact that she seemed to be making no progress _at all_ was worrying.

He knew her pride was on the line, and she was likely devoting all resources available to that goal. As much as he disliked her, he had to admit she was a supremely capable person, and if she wanted something done, it very rarely failed to happen.

So if it wasn't a purely biological disease, which Heidern suspected it wasn't anyways, then Chizuru would likely be looking into the spiritual component. She had reported, rather grudgingly, that the virus was indeed a curse of sorts, but would release no further detail.

 _Well, hopefully finds a way to fix this, and strengthen the seal as well. That's our primary goal in any case…_

His men saluted him as he strode past, some seemed less enthusiastic than usual considering the 'guest' in their west wing, but that would pass. IKARI was, at it's core, one unit. Occasionally they had to do things they disliked, and got angry at each other, but in the end they were more like a family than a unit. Even Ralf - who he perceived to be particularly affected by the recent incident - would, sooner or later, forgive and forget.

 _A bit rambunctious that one… haaah…_

His train of thought flew back to the apparent NESTS base in Qatar as he marched to central command. He _swore_ they searched every inch of that desert, and with their technology, they would never have missed a NESTS base with the scale capable of producing a virus this devastating. Was there some foul play? Perhaps an insider? _Impossible._

Well regardless, he needed to handle the problem at hand first. Thankfully he was able to negotiate the custody and cooperation of Chizuru's ' _hellhounds',_ and if they were good at anything, they were perfect for crushing highly fortified NESTS bases. Soon enough they would find the culprit, and it looked like Kyo and Iori were angry enough to take care of that problem without any prodding.

Commander Heidern sighed and took his seat. There were a million things to plot, but he knew how to play this game. Plotting, strategizing, running situations in his head, it was his entire job. He would need to consider every possibility. Every situation. And when he had achieved that mental victory, the fruition of his planning would surely come to pa-

 _*BEEEP*_

Heidern was startled.

 _*Commander! The lunatics got one of the Armoured vehicles took off! I asked the patrol in the area what the hell happened, and they said you and Kagura approved them to leave. They didn't want a fight, so they let them go and reported to me. Was such approval given?*_

"No. Get me a tracker on the vehicle and fire up a helicopter immediately! We're going after them!"

* * *

 _They went to get Fast food_


	45. The Bondage of the Will

_Title of Chap is actually a really good book_

* * *

The sun was high in the sky by the time they found themselves in the Wendy's drive through.

Kyo wouldn't shut up about this new diet he read about online, and Iori was seriously debating whether or not he should throw his passenger out the window. The armored vehicle IKARI had lent them was a squeeze in the tightly winding drive-through, and Iori was certain he had left black paint marks streaked across the side of the restaurant. His daily was a tiny Volkswagen. He wasn't used to driving what was essentially a tank.

Beside him, Kyo blabbered in his ear.

" _Get me the Cod sandwich. Omega-3 oils are amazing for you. If you don't have enough your brain will get stiff and you'll have stroke… or at least I think that's what the website said. Anyways, fish for me, and not just because I love fish. It's science. You should give up red meat, I heard it causes like super-leukemia... Oy did you hear me? Fish Sandwich."_

" _Sure, whatever."_

"... _Right, thanks. Anyways Chiz told me that Omega-3 can help your brain too! Maybe if you eat enough you won't be so brain dead all the time. I bet-... Bro do you hear sirens?"_

Iori ignored him to open the window and shout their order.

One of the good things about America was that the primary language was English. By itself, this meant nothing - but the fact Kyo neither spoke nor understood the language pretty much meant he was at Iori's mercy when it came to communicating with the outside world.

So he was eating whatever Iori ordered.

And Iori didn't give a shit about anyone's diet.

"Four Loaded Baked Potatoes… Yes that's it. Thank you."

" _Shit man, I hear sirens."_

* * *

Chizuru was taking the day off.

She shouldn't be. Her inbox had two thousand unread emails. There were four hours worth of messages in her voicemail-box. She had an acquisition closing today with a drug manufacturing company and there was a second meeting with representatives from the US government concerning KP's taxation status.

She really shouldn't be taking the day off.

But this business with breaking _Lord Saiki_ out of his _time prison_ took first priority.

She couldn't quite remember who _Lord Saiki_ was, but she _knew_ he was extremely important. How she had forgotten who he was, was beyond her. It was careless of her to let someone that critical slip her mind. As she followed the fox-scarfed woman down the halls of her office building, she picked at her memories, searching and searching for the name ' _Saiki'_... she was drawing a blank on all fronts, and that bothered her.

 _Who is this person… ack, either way, I'll surely remember him when I see him._

The elevator *dinged* and the two of them clacked their way out into KP-Orlando's ground floor. One of her security detail saw her companion and drew his weapon. Perhaps he hadn't seen the woman enter? _Careless._ Or perhaps he was suspicious of her… extremely strange choice of attire, but Chizuru Kagura _knew_ no harm was allowed to fall upon _Botan._

Right now, that was her first priority… _protecting Botan,_ and second to that was _freeing Lord Saiki._

The rest was utterly insignificant before these two goals. Her own safety, the viral mystery which was somehow pulling Orochi's seal to bits, even her company… they meant nothing. She was strong because she could sacrifice everything to accomplish a single goal.

In times past, that goal was ' _sealing Orochi'._

But now, now that the _thread_ had wrapped itself firmly about her heart, she saw clearly.

She knew her goal.

And she would fulfill it at all costs.

The security officer - James Holden, (she remembered seeing his face on the monthly payroll) shouted something and leveled his weapon at _Botan_. That was unacceptable. A protective instinct rose from deep within her. The Mirror burned cold as ice and pressed against her heart. She gritted her teeth and fixed the man with a furious gaze.

Without a twinge of remorse, she crushed his mind.

He flopped to the ground, comatose.

She heard _Botan_ bark a laugh behind her, and she huffed in contempt. They stepped over his still warm body, her guide following her closely as they proceeded out the automatic doors and into one of her KP chartered limousines. Soon they would arrive at the airport and would be on their way to… 1654.

 _How am I supposed to go to 1654… is that part of an address?_

Well anyhow, _Botan_ looked like she knew where she was going. Chizuru was glad she had the Eurasian woman as a guide to complete this very important task… a task she had already fixed her heart on.

She was Chizuru Kagura.

And when she set her heart on something, it was done.

All who stood before her will would be crushed.

* * *

 _I'm tryna turbo to the end this story is too long already._

 _Lol Iori doesn't know they're not allowed to leave._

 _Poor Kyo, gotta eat that potato._

 _Also Botan OP_


	46. Throwback

_Sorry OC chapter :o_

* * *

Dr. Lee Akira was about to pull his hair out.

Madame Kagura had tasked him with overseeing the dissection, classification and finding the cure for a mysterious… _virus?_ No. If this was a virus, his team would have fixed it in several hours. If this was any sort of biological pathogen, they would all be home for the weekend. But at the moment, all the researchers in KPLabs were flabbergasted.

For all intents and purposes, the ' _Blood Riot'_ and ' _ST-1'_ (the team had nicknamed the curse after the city of origin) should kill it's afflicted. And just like the Blood Riot, ST-1 didn't seem to have a physical vector either. There was no foreign intruder in either the blood or biopsies. There was nothing to observe. Nothing to kill.

Akira didn't know what to do.

This was closer to Voodoo magic than science. They had been in contact with all sorts of unsavory hacks and goofs who claimed to be ' _spiritualists'_ \- but seemed to be ultimately useless after all. Each one had said something about a _breaking a seal_ and _the cursed of god,_ but had offered no solution whatsoever. In fact, they insisted there was no cure, but Akira was fain to believe them.

He had a job to do, dammit.

 _... I think I remember seeing the beginnings of something like this in those blueprints, but nothing definitive. I wonder if this pathogen came from the same place?! Ugh... But Madame Kagura won't tell where she got those documents..._

His boss kept a close guard over those secrets, and Akira was willing to respect her space. Chizuru Kagura was a very kind woman, so long as you played by her rules. Dr. Lee Akira had seen the fate of those who dared step out of line, and he didn't need the might of KP bearing down on him... especially since he had one child in second grade, and another on the way.

So he pulled his thoughts away from those _forbidden topics,_ put his head down and worked.

They had to start from scratch.

Although the KP Team had some exposure to curses and whatnot - after all, Iori Yagami had been shipped to them once, and _he_ was… super cursed.

 _He was only there to be stitched up, but hell did we have a field day. That kid is weird. I want that MRI… ack, focus Akira…_

 _Ehem…_ although they were able to observe the biological manifestations of a person under a curse, they had never researched the creation nor cure for such things. It was science beyond the scope of their experience - a _'Blood Riot'-_ esque curse which spread like rabies. The combination of a... seeming bloodborne pathogen and some intangible spiritual hocus-pocus.

 _Blood is definitely the vector... looks just like Yagami's sample._

Yagami's blood was all sorts of messed up. Akira had seen tons of blood samples, but he had never seen anything like _that_ … until now.

Because the samples from the infected individuals had some uncanny similarities with his.

The blood was acidic. Nothing like ' _Alien'_ level acidic, but the normal human body could never live with a blood pH like that. Next, the victims seemed to be immune to other sorts of viruses. They had seen it once in Yagami, they were seeing it again in these blood samples. They were immune to every bloodborne pathogen they introduced it to. It seemed that nothing could alter the structure of the blood after it fell under ST-1.

Although that was good for the cursed citizens - they wouldn't fall under bloodborne infection or other regulatory imbalances while they waited for aid - it threw a huge wrench in the works concerning a cure.

For if nothing could be changed, than nothing could be fixed. Even if they had a hypothetical cure, could they even apply it effectively?

 _Ugh…_

At this point they were grasping at straws. He had hired a couple of behavioral psychologists to analyze the film sent to them by the US Army drones, and they were equally flummoxed. According to them, ST-1 caused its victims to adopt the psychology of a malignant pathogen.

That is, infect healthy cells… _or, people, rather_. Spread the disease as quickly as possible through the most effective form of aggressive blood transfer - a bite. That was, _"Eat"._

Next, to attack the infected individuals who have yet to succumb to the pathogen. They would continue to harass then until they fell under ST-1's influence. Hence, _"Kill"._

The US soldiers deployed in the Quarantine zone apparently had discovered this simple psychology a long time ago, but the information never made it to the upper echelons of intelligence gathering. The soldiers were able to tell who was infected and who wasn't by observing how the horde reacted to them.

 _So according to that logic, we know Kusanagi is clean… but Yagami… haaah… that kid has so many problems. If he dies, I wonder if Madame Kagura will let me dissect him…_

Regardless, he had a job to do, and he had a boss to report to. Madame Kagura had been losing her temper more frequently ever since this ST-1 business began. She was under a lot of stress and yelled at him twice today - she would probably call him tonight and apologize, as was her custom whenever she raised her voice - but it still stung a little bit. If they couldn't find the cure come Monday, he wanted, at least, to put together a classification of the pathogen for her.

Dr. Lee Akira sighed, downed his fourteenth cup of coffee toda _-...tonight_ , and got to work.

* * *

 _Some details that I couldn't jam in, but will address them later. I'll list them here if you were concerned for whatever reason i dunno._

 _* Cursed individuals are only free of bloodborne/equilibrium etc... viruses. Anything that involves blood they're good. But they are still effected by nerves - ie) Sarin Gas._

 _I think it kinda breaks with sedatives and stuff, but have some mercy I don't wanna do research. Also technically Yag shouldn't get drunk either but that's fun so I made an expection :)._

 _Ok, so remember way back when Yagami was about to be shot in the hospital? (and needed to use instinct to dodge? - tbh he should have just lit theplace on fire but whatever). Five, who was all bound up, is an infected member of the patrol team, and the remaining members of the team were using him to see who was infected or not. He yelled 'kill' before they went ahead and tried to shoot him. was the second person who knew he was infected. Glasses was the first. See, I had this stuff sorted out way back when XD._

 _bye._


	47. IMPACT

_Okay, just running through my bubble charts, trying to push this story and also drop hints for stuff in the future :)_

 _I realized now that this entire story background has a lot to do with Devilmom messing around haha._

 _Because everyone hates her._

 _And Kyo._

 _Iori gets off lightly because everyone thinks he's a moron. poor bby._

* * *

They were back.

Ralf had volunteered to participate in the retrieval mission, but the commander denied his request - saying something about a concussion, mental imbalances and bed-rest. Ralf protested, but was eventually shut down. His head was fine. He wasn't even dizzy, _mental imbalances my ass_.

He was cool and calm and he wasn't going to do anything rash.

After all, Kyo Kusanagi wasn't bulletproof.

Just a quick double tap in the head, and he'd be gone. That _fucking_ brat was prancing around like he was hot shit, but didn't he _know_? The only reason he could feel even _slightly_ safe was his bosses' political connections? And the only reason he hadn't been shot _yet_ was his rival was the equivalent of a war machine, and Kusanagi stuck to him like a parasite.

 _They seem to be tolerating each other… huh… I thought they hated each other after the last KOF where they got hosed … and it's only been … six months since then?_

Ralf was sitting in the cockpit of one of IKARI's fighter jets. It was the very plane that was tasked to bring Chizuru Kagura into the joint US-Ikari base, and the aircraft from which one of his men - D. Aranda, IKARI Air-Force - had been found - catatonic. He hadn't woken up yet, and the doctors didn't have high hopes for him at all.

Ralf drummed his fingers on the display and fiddled with the missile targeting system. The plane wasn't on, of course, and the plane only had a single missile left… but as he looked out the cockpit window and watched the Kusanagi brat get escorted across the airfield, potato in hand, Ralf couldn't help but imagine how everything could be solved if he _just pushed the button._

But he wouldn't. Not while his men were in the blast range, and not while Iori Yagami was nearby. Ralf had seen Yagami doing some crazy shit before, and wasn't going to take his chances with that wildcard. If he was gonna do this, he'd catch his quarry alone.

 _Have Patience._

He just needed to wait, feign peace and seek out his opportunity.

 _Just wait…_

* * *

Assistant Researcher Jolene Curry hated the desert.

She hated the sand. She hated the heat. She wanted to go back to the beautiful Brazilian coastline, with the cliffside view. She would sometimes spend her days off suntanning on the white beaches, or dissecting the local wildlife for pleasure, or-...

 _Ugh, Qatar sucks. It's too dry! I need to restock my lotions…_

Well, the Brazilian branch had fallen into the sea because one of NESTS corporate affiliates had turned on them. KP Pharma had been a fantastic business partner several years ago. The Makishima Team had received their most precious test subject - Kyo Kusanagi - and nearly unlimited funding for a period of three months, with the condition that KP was privy to all the research details concerning ' _Project K'_. The doctor had even behaved as some sort of backdoor consultant concerning KP Pharma's own projects for a period of time - so close was their partnership.

However, on that fateful day, KP sent an agent to destroy the entire Brazilian base. The center manned by nearly four hundred people were swiftly and mercilessly killed by… what seemed to be a single person. A stroke of luck allowed herself and the doctor to escaped via motorboat amid the chaos, and she was _angry._

She was still angry.

They were scientists! The forefront of technology! The greatest minds in the world! Their efforts were the efforts of bettering mankind. Their goal was exploration on the frontier of the unknown… but all these _fucking_ bankers and company scumbags were snapping on their heels constantly. Chasing them around, demanding this and that… and when they finally got their hands on the product of their research, what did they do?

Take the credit, monetize it.

Then kill the creators.

 _Damn KP! Companies! They're all the same. Ungrateful bastards! The researchers should be getting the glory, but instead we're running around like fugitives!_

They should be the ones calling the shots! Not some Corporate mogul with her team of hitmen. Why did she, the assistant to the most brilliant scientist in the last hundred years, need to run to the _Middle East_ of all places! Shameful!

And the fact they needed to take _contracts_ for money? Agh. Jolene longed for the days when NESTS was a worldwide force whom nothing could stand against. The glory days where Igniz led, ahh, _that_ man appreciated the scientific endeavor. He knew how important it was… under his leadership, they had no budget… they had a blank check.

 _At least this contract is interesting… the clients are such stuck up Bitches though… I'd say they're no worse than the companies, but at least we only need to put up with them for a bit._

Assistant Researcher Jolene Curry sighed and clacked down the hallways of the _much smaller, much uglier_ Qatar base to meet with the doctor. One of the Doctor's main partner in the ' _Project T'_ endeavor was a very strange individual. While the Makishima specialized in hard sciences, he didn't have much experience in the… _murkier_ side of reality.

And that was Sir Ron's specialty.

He wove curses so masterful that even _she,_ who had seen her fair share of scientific miracles, was amazed. He could disintegrate in a moment, and revive even faster. He could manipulate souls and spirits as if they were tangible… he had even pulled out her ' _soul'_ as a demonstration! It was quite the thrilling experience.

Although she couldn't make heads or tails of it, the Doctor could, and with Sir Ron's help, had created a pathoge-... no, it could hardly be called a pathogen. An artificial ' _Blood Riot',_ tied with the god of the earth, and manifested in a sickness of the body and soul so potent, that it could crush a country. It was a thing of beauty. It was the ultimate weapon.

 _I hope it works soon. Project T definitely does it's job. A beautiful little thing… heh._

Jolene Curry felt herself privileged. Few other people could claim their jobs impacted lives as much as she could. If anything, she _changed lives_. Sure, her work likely ended more lives than she helped, but at least she was making a difference.

Besides, how their research was used had nothing to do with them. They were merely probing the frontier. They were just toolmakers - the person who took their hammer and smashed someone's head with it - they were guilty. Her hands were clean, and she felt no guilt within her.

 _Now._

She clacked to a stop in the dusty hallway. She swore her skin was drying up and cracking in this godforsaken place, but she would persist. She smoothed her skirt before she walked into the laboratory with the test results of the Doctor's most recent project.

* * *

 _Anyone even know who Ron is? Wiki hardly knows tbh haha_

* * *

 _I started doing summaries forever ago. I forgot for a while. Figured I should start again lol. (summaries for ch 1-13 are in the ending notes of chapter 28 and 29)_

 _Ch14: Leo convinces Clark to pull Iori out of Quarantine. Clark teases Leo because she likes him. Kyo and Iori start driving out of the city. (Sarin drop incoming)_

 _Ch15: Iori stiches his cut off. Riot names Kyo 'Orange' because his flames are orange. Ralf, Leo and Clark are flying over ST looking for our boys._

 _Ch16: Kyo tries to figure out if Iori is infected with zombie virus. Tells Iori he's been cannibalizing the populace, and Iori spaces out to go yell at Riot inside his own head (who he's made a pact with). Then tries to explain the voices in his head to Kyo - who is like bro. I don't care. ('newguy' is the 'voice' of the ST-1, which is an artificially induced Blood Riot. Because it's modeled off of the actual blood riot, it shares similarites both physically and mentally. thankfully Blood Riot isn't contagious). The mental component of ST-1 is not effective against Yag because he's already used to dealing with Riot, but physically he is effected. He's like 2x cursed now, and is prone to Rioting because the double curse is too much for him to handle. If he didn't make a truce with Riot then he'd be done. Also New Guy is the one responsible for Iori eating increasingly raw meat, and for Riot constantly being hungry._

 _So Kyo accuses Iori of being infected because he's gotten too much infected blood in him. Iori points out Kyo's got mosquito bites. Lucky for kyo, Insects don't drink cursed blood (because it's acidic) but Kyo doesn't know that. He thinks he's gonna die._

 _Also they get gassed. IKARI show up and tranqs Kyo. Iori runs into a building._

 _Ch17: From Riot's POV - Iori is standing on a sidewalk while trying to escape Sarin attack. realizes there is someone approching him(clark) and is shooting (tranqs) at him. He runs inside the nearest building and Riot is providing commentary as he goes. Iori hunkers down in a corner and Riot voulenteers to help and kill Clark. Iori says ok why tf not._

 _Riot tells us why he decided to join Iori's side instead of before where he was pretty much trying to take over all the time. Riot likes to kill shit, and after the old man neighbor gets killed, Iori sends Riot into the streets to murder to his hearts content. Also Orochi doesn't want the infected people to die because they are linked to his current seal. More on this later._

 _Ch18: Same as ch17 except for Clark's perspective. They need to get Yag out in 10 mins or the gas will kill him. Chapter ends with Riot about to cut a bitch._

 _Ch19: So Iori is about to murder Clark. Leona shoots at him and he dodges with hax instinct. Clark is able to use the distraction to escape getting split in half. Riot turns to go attack Leona instead and he's just blowing up bullets and guns and shit. The nerve toxin is messing with his joints, so he's just laying on the floor setting stuff on fire. He breaks Leona's gun, so Leona kicks the shit out of him instead. He sets her on fire, but before she roasts, Clark shoots Yag in the neck and he passes out._

 _Ch20: Kyo wakes up in the IKARI helicopter (got tranqued by Leona) and immedietly panics and tries to Kill Leona. Clark steps in and calms everyone down. Iori's also KO'd in the Helicopter cockpit but he's all sorts of fked up. He is suspicious that IKARI dropped the gas on him to kidnap them. Leona gives him some sass, Kyo tries to shake Iori awake- who is uber messed up. Leona helps to do emergency medical on Iori._

 _Ch21: This is Iori's POV while Riot is getting beat up by Leona(BLUE)._

 _Ch22: Enter Devilmom. Heidern gives her a call, does some negotiation (threatens to kill K+I) and forces her to fly alone to IKARI base under his terms. He wants Chiz to come and look at ST-1 because he thinks it's not a purely biological virus. She gets angry._


	48. The Enemy

_Some Pastboi's for u._

* * *

"BOTAN!"

Rimelo hissed. His wan skin was drawn tightly over his face and his eyes blazed like coals. Across from him sat the Persian woman in question, dressed in a black evening gown and calmly checking her freshly painted nails. She held an air of proud indifference.

The third person sitting about their table was a pale - tired looking man, although he could have easily been mistaken for a woman except for his attire. He didn't seem to be listening to the conversation, and was content to sit silently and carefully sip wine.

"Botan, you had Chizuru Kagura under your influence - but didn't cause her to break Orochi's seal?! Have you betrayed us? You had an opportunity to accomplish our goal, but failed to follow through. _You_ know what happens to those which betray us!"

Rimelo stood to his feet, his features marred with anger. The Restaurant's other patrons briefly turned to look at them before returning to their meals. He barked.

"Explain yourself."

Botan Obliged. Her voice was hard.

"Doth _he,_ " she pointed at the pale man with her chin, "looketh fit for battle? His imprisonment wast harsh. His't condition is worse than we anticipat'd."

Rimelo gritted his teeth. It was true. Lord Saiki didn't look well at all. Botan continued.

"Concerning our goal, I am one mind with thee. I dareth not risk our victory by causing our Lord to confront _god_ so soon. We musn't underestimate the strength of _god._ Should we wisheth to steal _his_ power, Lord Saiki must first regain strength. Hath thee any complaints, Rimelo?!"

Botan was smiling at him. It was a nasty smile. Rimelo perceived this had become something of a competition for her. His task had been freeing Orochi, her task to been freeing Lord Saiki. She had finished first and was gloating in her victory.

 _What a child…_

Rimelo sighed. He wouldn't become angry. What Botan said was true, there was no telling what sort of condition Orochi would be in if Botan had released the seal immediately. Perhaps the _god_ of the earth would have overpowered Lord Saiki and all would be lost. It was much safer to bide their time and keep Orochi sealed while Saiki regained his strength.

"I understand Botan, allow me to apologize for my quick words. You have determined wisely."

That threw her off balance. She had no response. Her the gloat fled from her features to be replaced with annoyance. Suddenly her nails were very, very interesting.

"Botan, concerning Chizuru Kagura… is she privy to our plans? She isn't someone to be trifled with. Please tell me you've erected some measures against her. She has control of Kusanagi and Yagami - who are capable of shutting down our entire operation should they come for us."

Botan suddenly looked proud again and pursed her lips to deliver her report. Rimelo snickered internally. How amusing, the woman who had the power to subjugate minds was herself easily swayed by the wiles of conversation.

"Kagura is quite the inter'sting character. She hast great power of manipulation, even more versatile than mine. I caused her to strike the event from her memory. There are no traces… _aside for_ -"

Rimelo gazed at her calmly.

"Aside for?"

Botan grimaced then tapped her temple.

"She hath a complex mind… like a finely tun'd machine. The manipulation I hath wrought will have caused some damage. I doth not care for her, yet should I attempteth to use her once more..."

Rimelo nodded.

"She'll become paranoid. She won't allow herself to be threaded again, and at this moment, she is probably becoming imbalanced. Is that right?"

Botan nodded.

"I see. That's fine, depending on her mental state, her leadership abilities will also decline. Let us hold off on the second attempt to infect the _Treasures_ until Lord Saiki has recovered sufficiently. I've directed Makishima to prepare an airborne variant… When the time is ripe, we will be ready. There will be no mistakes."

* * *

 _Enter Saiki._

 _Can you guys even understand the Botan Talk?_

 _More summaries Below_

* * *

 _ch23: So after Kyo disembarked the helicopter, they tried to take his blood and he freaked out cuz he's convinced he's infected. He goes nuts and they have to tranq him. he wakes up in a jail cell and locked to the floor. He freaks out, convinces himself that IKARI wants to experiment on him, and decides he's gonna go murder as many IKARI people before the zombie infection kills him. He's chained down, but manages to melt the solder that links the chain to the floor. He's walking down the halls looking for Yag to cut him free._

 _Ch24: Iori talks to himself for a bit. Decides he's cool with teaming up with Riot to fight the other voices in his head. Kyo wakes him up, he's similarily tied up in a cell._

 _Ch25: Kyo monologues about the NESTS shenanigans for a bit. Says the only people who care about him are Kyo, Chiz and Yuki. chapter ends with him finding Yag. This is ch 24 from Kyo pers._

 _Ch26: Kyo tells Iori about his plan to kill IKARI. Iori thinks it's a dumbass plan. Kyo needs Iori around because cursed flames are hot enough to melt bullets otherwise he can get shot and die. Iori convinces Kyo to use hostage plan instead of 'attack' plan in order to avoid getting gassed. Hostage plan is called 'Valentin' and IKARI taught it to Yag. Chapter ends with a patrol dissappearing._

 _Ch27: Iori starts to suffocate because his IV is running out. They've got some hostages. Kyo is running around like a dinosaur on crack. Iori kills Thrall - one of his war buddies for when he works with IKARI. Their main objective is to collect as many hostages as possible - and kill them all._

 _Ch28: Kyo still absolutely nuts. Brings down a helicopter with Leona and Ralf. Kyo decides that he would rather mercy Kill Iori than let IKARI experiment on him (which they aren't)_

 _Ch29: Chiz in in the air in one of Heidern's fighter jets plotting something. back in IKARI base, Leona is the only team member who can speak japanese and is trying to negotiate them to safety. Kyo is having none of it, and doesn't believe her when she says she's IKARI isn't gonna hurt them. Leo decies to try to convince Iori instead, who is literally about to die. Unfortunately Yag doesn't help, he won't betray Kyo even if he's doing stupid shit like killing innocent people._

 _Ch30: More Psychology. Kyo's gut instinct says that IKARI is enemy, so he's decided to (bravely) act on that whim and kill IKARI members against all evidence. Iori's psychology is his mental heiarchy. Kyo is at the top, so if Kyo needs him to do anything everyone else can suck it. Including Leona._

 _Ch31: Chiz airplane pilot is not responding ( ), Clark and main control is trying to get ahold of Aranda to no avail. Clark recalls on time where Heidern sent Yag in to do some rescue mission, and saved Clark+POW from enemy territory by killing everyone. He really doesn't know how to fight Yag because he melts bullets and has instinct and boils ppls blood. He suddenly becomes suspicous that a third party may have orchestrated this entire thing, then Chiz clone #1 shows up. They detain her. On the ground, hiding behind some tree, the real Chizuru Kagura is cotrolling a couple of clones. She's talking about how she needs to rescue her boys, and she wouldn't trade them for anything. (Because they are her power, and she loves power lol. not cuz she actually loves them)_

 _ok more summaries later_


	49. Unravel

_Devilmom, I choose you!_

 _use MINDCRUSH!_

 _KO!_

* * *

The office was spinning in circles. Her breath echoed, booming in her head and causing a dull ache in her ears. The floor wobbled. She felt nauseous. Her brain was scrambled, all her memories were jumbled. She couldn't make heads or tails of what had happened the past week, and her thoughts were spinning in a desperate attempt to put her life back in order.

 _What… how could this happen…_

It was 1:45 am when she ' _woke up'_ sitting in the dark. The entire building was empty, save the team of night janitors. Her office door had been locked up for the night. Her knees gave out when she tried to stand, and she clung to the edge of her desk to keep from sprawling on the floor.

One of her heels had snapped. Her other shoe was missing. Her hair smelled like tobacco and her palms stung as if burned. The mirror was cold against her heart. It pulsed. It's power had been expended recently… _but for what? And why! What was I doing?!_

She couldn't remember.

 _She couldn't remember!_

She felt her breath quicken as she slowly lowered herself to the carpeted floor. She closed her eyes and unhooked her heels, tossing them away. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she pulled her knees against her chest and tossed her head back to stare at the white ceiling panels.

Chizuru Kagura had just lost a day.

Just a moment ago… rather, what _felt_ like just a moment ago, she was sitting right here, at her desk, and it was 8am. She was about to buckle down and prep her case with the United States IRS when… _when… what then? What happened?_

She couldn't remember anything.

And that _terrified_ her.

What happened? Why was she gone? Did she have an unknown medical condition? Had somebody drugged her? What was she made to do, if in fact, she had done anything at all? What were the consequences of said actions? Who had done this to her? Who had the power to do this to her? What was their motivation? What was-

...

She froze as something hot and wet ran down her cheek. She felt the salty liquid tickle her skin as it ran to her chin and dripped off. She barked a laugh, if only in an attempt to comfort herself.

She was Chizuru Kagura.

She stood at the helm of humanity.

For years, nobody dared raise their voices against her authority. She subjugated all of her opposition. Whether they fell by sweet words, or fiery power mattered not, all fell before her. She trampled them beneath her feet until there was nothing left in her path.

Every threat she saw, she struck preemptively. Every dissenter was cut to size. Every wayward sprig was trimmed and reprimanded until she had no enemies. She ruled over the hearts and souls of humanity. All loved her, none had ill thoughts of her. She gave lavishly to charities. Her company had saved tens of thousands of lives, curing even the most malignant diseases. All stood before her in awe. They could sing her praises ceaselessly. Parents strived for their children to be like her. She was the universal role model. She had meticulously built for herself the image of a gentle angel.

And whoever dared assault her, was subject to the rage of humanity.

 _So…_

For fear of the masses, for fear of her - who dared attack her?! Who dared humiliate her? To seize her, use her for their own purposes, and leave her here like some tool which had served its purpose? Who had the _gall_ to abuse her like this!? Who had the _ability_ to pull this off?! There was nobody she knew of that wanted her dead. The Hakkeshu were dead and gone, occasionally returning to pester Iori - but nothing more. Ash Crimson had been killed. NESTS was running like rats from Heidern's scouring ey-

 _Heidern._

She had been silently holding her head in her hands until the name rang in her head. Her mind had never failed her, the conclusion _had_ to be true. There was no other suspect. As she came to her realization, she doubled over as if in pain. Her hair had mysteriously come undone and fell in sheets about her face. Her mascara had likely begun to smear. She pounded the carpeted floor with her fist and howled in laughter. She didn't care if she scared the janitors. At this moment, she cared for nothing at all.

 _She raged._

Heidern… he didn't fear the masses. He didn't fear her boys either. He didn't fear her. He was the IKARI commander, famous for his unflinching stubbornness. Nobody could intimidate him. Nobody could force him one way or the other. He was a military genius who pulled all his resources to accomplish his goals. His schemes were elaborate and convoluted, and he held his secrets tightly. He was wary. He hedged himself in on every side. He-

 _He did this! There's nobody else who can…_

Perhaps he uncovered her secret? Had he discovered the path which would inevitably lead to her death? He was brilliant, more so than Blue Mary but not nearly as impulsive. An _inkling_ was all he needed to crush her utterly. He could make her dance in his palm. He could make her kneel and kiss his feet. He-

She collapsed on her side and sank her fingers into the carpet as it trying to tear the fibers out. She clenched her teeth until her gums ached. The nausea had become severe. She trembled violently and she felt bile fill her throat, yet she was grinning. Laughing as her world was torn down before her eyes.

 _Kyo… and Iori…_

Was he plotting to turn them against her? Perhaps that was the reason he wished to retain them so badly, so he could convince them to hate her. It was why he wanted her gone as well, demanding that she scurry off and work on the cure. Did he think he could brainwash them so easily? Perhaps he would torture them? Perhaps this entire virus was within his plan! It was no secret that Heidern disliked her - she disliked him equally… but… would he kill so many to get at her?

 _He's ruthless. He's a soldier… he feels nothing._

Chizuru's head pounded. It hurt like there was a nail being driven through the back of her skull. She shut her eyes and lay down on the floor at the base of her desk. She rolled onto her back and concentrated on stopping her breath from hitching.

 _He feels nothing. He'll come after you… no, he'll ask you to come to him._

The pounding was fading. She was taking deep measured breaths and fighting to regain some semblance of herself. If her opponent was Heidern, she couldn't afford to be rolling on the floor feeling bad for herself. She was going to persist. She was going to win…

 _How?_

She wasn't sure yet.

But if she was going to lose, she wouldn't do it quietly. She would fight with everything she had. She wouldn't fall until she'd shed her last drop of blood. Kyo and Iori were in his terrible grip. Her precious boys. Her precious power. What sort of things was Heidern doing to them? Chizuru didn't want to imagine it. She had hurt them enough, even if it was out of necessity, it hurt her soul. They had already suffered too much. Nobody would lay a finger on them.

If Chizuru Kagura was going to fall, at the very least, she would rescue the ones she loved. Heidern would get no satisfaction from her. She would cause him so much grief, he would wish he had never crossed her path. Now she was facing death. She had nothing to fear.

She stood and wiped away her tears, cleaning off the places where the makeup had smeared. Her unflappable, solemn air had returned. She turn toward the window and looked out over the city's blinking lights. Her eyes were hard. She smiled a small smile.

Heidern was her enemy.

And she was still Chizuru Kagura.

She would crush those who dared strike at her.

She would retain her power no matter what.

She sat down in her office chair and calmly smoothed her hair. She was at peace. She knew what she needed to do. The mirror pulsed gently against her heart and she shut her eyes… thinking.

Waiting.

When the phone rang, she smiled and picked it up. Her voice was sweet - a more gentle tone than she had ever used with him.

"Hello Commander."

 _*Kagura. Your dogs are running around causing trouble. I need you back here.*_

"I know, Commander."

 _*...I see... I will prepare a convoy to your Orlando Headquarters. 9am. Don't be late.*_

"I'll be ready."

* * *

 _K- We're gonna be late. Traffic sux_

 _C - It's Heidern's fault._

K - _Also Yag tried to kill me again_

 _C - Also Hediern's fault._

 _K - A seagull attacked me and I dropped my icecream._

 _C - HEIDERRRNN!_

 _* In this chapter, Heidern goes from "Rival ally who Chiz doesn't like that much" to "absolute enemy"._

* * *

 _Summaries:_

 _Ch 32: Everyone is on fire, but heatproofed. The moment Kyo/Iori lose concentration - are killed, pass out, knocked out etc... everyone burns. It was a strategy Heidern thought up when Yag was helping him do stuff with gangs. Now Yag is using it against IKARI. Leona is relaying info to IKARI headquarters over the radio. She's supposed to be relaying hostage demands, but Kyo doesn't speak english and Yag is like half dead and not listening. She's pretending to translate but is actually describing their situation. After a bit, Iori notices and Kyo turns around and throat punches Leo. He decides that he's gonna kill all the hostages now, but Devilmom (the real one) shows up out of the blue and makes them stop._

 _Ch 33: Clark and IKARI detain Chiz copy#1, and she does mental shenanigans. She's brain controlling the pilot who flew her over to IKARI base (has a copy up there too). She says either bring Kyo and Iori here (even though they're going freaking nuts) or I'll plow the Airplane into the command tower and kill yalls... unless you compromise and patch me to commander to negotiate for stuff. Clark is like ok. back with hostages, Real Chiz stops zoning out and tells everyone to turn off the fire._ _She lies to Kyo, saying that she asked Ikari to rescue them - and he's not in any danger._

 _Ch 34: Chiz copy is there to greet Heidern and Whip at the front gates. Talks shit to Heidern and almost pops Whip's eyes out._

 _Ch 35: Yag gets some medical so he doesn't die. Kyo is lurking around the room, wakes him up and throws him into a wheelchair. they go for a walk. Yag is the angery boi_

 _CH 36: Kyo and Iori chat. Kyo is trying to apologize. Yag says what he did is his own fault, and he did it knowingly. Doesn't want an apology. Says he'll always be on Kyo's side no matter how batshit insane Kyo is. Kyo laughs and tells him he's gay. Iori punches him in the ear._

 _Ch 37: Ralf is pissed because Yag and Kyo killed Thrall and almost killed Leona. He wants to go after Team Murder. Heidern says no. Ralf is seething. Elsewhere, Chiz is getting info about the Seal from one of her ppl back in Japan. Some spiritualist is telling her that the seal is being pulled apart by tons of tiny little threads, and a single big force (that is, the life forces of all the infected people. the big force is Yag+Magatama). Chiz struck a deal with Heidern. She will go get a cure for the stuff. Heidern will keep Kyo and Iori here. Chiz copy goes to visit Kyo and Iori._

 _Ch 38: Kyo tells Chiz copy that the infected people were chanting the same stuff Yag does when he eats people. During this time, (not stated, but ref back to later)Yag tells Chiz about the additional voices in his head, and she's like... ok fine. They pillowfight. Meanwhile Heidern is chatting with not copy Chiz over the phone. She's being bitchy, and Heidern is like ugh... but realizes she pretty much saved Leona's life (who got surgery from chiz so she's ok) and the rest of IKARI squad so he decides he'll tolerate her._

 _More later. Chapters are getting shorter, but summaries are getting meatier lol_


	50. Revolver Hellcat

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 _AREA 51 RAID._

 _ThEy CaN't StOp Us AlL_

* * *

Clark thought it was strange for Chizuru Kagura to be so docile.

The Commander had warned him that she seemed strange over the phone, and directed them to take extra care when transporting her to the South Carolina IKARI-US Joint Air base. Clark took the commander's words seriously - as always - and decided to oversee the mission personally. After all, he had seen Chizuru's powers at work once before. He would recognize them should they surface again.

After all, Chizuru Kagura was one of the sacred treasures. She (probably) didn't wield flames, but definitely was equally, if not more, dangerous than her fire breathing brethren. They were to treat her with all the precautions and security that they employed when dealing with characters like ' _the lunatic kid'_.

So when the five vehicle military convoy pulled up to KP-Orlando, in the middle of morning rush hour, and found the woman in question standing on the curbside waiting for them - they became even more wary.

They asked her to get in the car, but she refused. Instead opting to scream loudly and make a ruckus.

They hadn't expected resistance - after all, Chizuru was supposably a friendly in this situation. A member of the security detail, T. Strad - who was normally quite cool headed, seemed to go nuts. He shouted angrily, grabbed her, and pinned her to the ground. It looked like the sloppiest, most obvious kidnapping ever aired on TV.

But after that, there was no going back. Clark and Company were forced to arrested her right there in the midst of the city - in front of at least fifty of _her_ employees. He immediately suspected foul play on Chizuru's part, but there was nothing he could do about it. Clark didn't know what her plan was, making everything so public, but he didn't like it.

But he carried out the operation anyways.

A team of heavily armed guards quickly herded the crying, screaming woman into the vehicle before an audience of panicked civilians. People all around were filming with their cellphones and calling people. For some reason there was a news helicopter overhead, and Clark swore he saw professional cameras pointed at him from amongst the crowd.

Seeing how public this all was, Clark commanded his troops to ease off a bit. They did their best to handle Chizuru gently, but she slapped at them and made a great show of struggling and sobbing. There by the time they were done, there was mascara running down her face up until they hustled her into a car and gunned it down the street.

 _That was a horrible PR stunt… hell, I hope the US doesn't come snapping at us…_

Well regardless, the police weren't dumb enough to try and detain an IKARI convoy, and any action against them from the US Government had to come from the highest level of command. It would take time to reach the top, and when it did, the Commander held ample sway with the military. It _probably_ wouldn't be an issue… granted this wasn't part of some scheme...

But Chizuru Kagura was definitely going to try something - if a plot wasn't already in the works, then she was generating one now. Who knows what sort of things she had set up since last night. Obviously she was responsible for all of the cameras at the 'pick-up-point'. Clark just prayed that was the extent of the trouble, and bringing her back to the IKARI base wouldn't prove disastrous to them…

But a cold feeling in his gut told him he should expect nothing less.

At that moment, the woman sitting camly across from him in one of the jeeps looked at him and smiled with her small, white teeth. Her demeanor was cool as ice, but there was something feverish in her gaze.

Clark glared at her, but he couldn't suppress the chill that ran down his spine. .

 _Commander… this woman is bad news…_

* * *

"The loc-"

"Lady! What makes you think we're gonna tell you anything! Damn, woman."

"Show it to me on the GPS. I would like to know, Mr. Shawfelt."

Gary Shawfelt sat in the driver's seat and his temper was flaring. This Kagura lady had been talking his ear off, trying to get the coordinates of the IKARI base, and the location of those two Japanese fire guys. The commander and Major Still had instructed they keep communication with Kagura to a minimum, but seriously, she must have _some_ sort of superpower because even when squeezed between two men twice her size, she couldn't be intimidated into silence.

"Did you even hear me?! Oy, Bobby! Put that bag back over her head. Don't wanna talk to her anymore."

"..."

"Please Mr. Shawfelt. I'm worried abou-"

"Bobby, Goddammit! Would you _please._ "

Shawfelt glanced into the rearview mirror to see just _what sort of nonsense_ his colleague was pulling. He always had a weakness of asian chicks, maybe he was too busy ogling at tits to do his fucking job? Either way, Shawfelt needed this lady to be quiet, because _something_ about her calm, measured questions was throwing him off. For some reason, he wanted to answer her, and he was commanded not to divulge any information to this woman. They still had a couple more hours by car before they arrived at the IKARI base, and frankly Shawfelt didn't think he could tolerate any more of Ms. Kagura.

"Mr. Shawfelt. I would greatly appreciate it if you told me where Kyo and Iori are. As I said, I'm worried about them. They're like children to me. Come now."

This time, Shawfelt didn't dare interrupt her. There were four soldiers in the car. Two in the front seat. Two in the back. Bobby was sitting behind him with a pistol in each hand. One was pointed at the back of Shawfelt's head. The other was aimed at the roof of his own mouth. The two other soldiers seemed unaware any of this was happening. They sat rigidly straight and stared forward like stone statues.

"I know I'm no soldier, I have my ways to threaten you. Like a lawsuit. Would you like a lawsuit Mr. Shawfelt? Ah - and surely, I don't need to tell you what happens if you stop driving… you're a smart man."

As she spoke, the pistol was pressed into the back of Shawfelt's neck. He was almost in disbelief. This woman was supposed to be an ally, what the hell was going on. Another glance in the mirror confirmed the obvious antagonism of the situation. Chizuru had bared her small, white teeth to smile at him in the mirror. She was a beautiful woman, but every ounce of attraction was wicked away with that malicious shark's grin.

Beside him, the soldier in the passenger's seat grabbed the comms radio and held it out of his reach. His eyes were glazed over and he moved mechanically. Then he pulled out his revolver and twisted around to aim it at the soldier sitting directly behind him. Neither of them seemed… _conscious._

"You know, with specific data like this, it's a bit hard to pull from catatonic brains. I only get images and things of that sort. I couldn't even get it out of my pilot." she made a disappointing noise. "Save me the trouble won't you, Mr. Shawfelt? I would hate to carry out any sort of threat. I'm a peace loving person."

The pistol was nudged against his skull, his hands were clammy and he felt a trickle of sweat run down his temple. He spoke through gritted teeth. If this woman somehow got to base, what sort of havoc was she going to cause? Maybe she wanted to call a drone strike on it? Maybe fly and airplane into base, like she had _apparently_ threatened to before freeing the hostages? Initially Shawfelt had been sceptical of the story, but seeing Kagura now - he didn't doubt it for a moment.

" _Bullshit._ I won't say a thing to you. You and your Jap friends can go straight to hell!"

"I see."

He watched as Chizuru tucked her hair behind her ears, and pressed her hands firmly over them. She nodded to the soldier in the passenger seat, a trigger clicked.

…

"Ohh, safe. Very good." Chizuru unstopped her ears and narrated as if she were conducting a game show. "There are three bullets in the gun, and there are six chambers. Perhaps you're a bit to dazzled to do math right about now, but this man's chance of survival just dropped from a half to two-fifths. Should we play round two?"

She smiled. Shawfelt was in a dilemma. Right now, the life of his fellow IKARI member was in clear danger, but if Kagura knew their base, then who knew what sort of havoc she would cause? It was better for that soldier to die than the entire base, right? _And she needs me alive for the location, than surely sh-_

"Okay, let's go in a circle. You're next Mr. Shawfelt. Do you want to say anything before we begin?"

"I'm next? Wait what doe- _Wait! Stop!_ "

She plugged her ears and didn't hear anything else he said. The gun was swiveled and pointed at _his_ head and the trigger was pulled.

…

"Oooh! You're a lucky man! Want to go again? I'll spin the barrel for you!"

" _Stop! Stop it, don't play russian fucking roulette with me! I-"_

"Are you sure? It's fun to test your luck, isn't it? Obviously, you coming out here to escort _me_ means you're a risk lover. Come now, one more - then you can tell me where the base is, and I'll leave you lot alone."

" _Goddammit! Don't shoot! The fire brats have been moved to a separate building on the east end of the compound. The coordinates are..."_

* * *

"Oy, Yag."

"Leave."

Kyo was leaning against the doorframe of the break room and trying to bother him. They've been stuck here for what felt like _forever_ and both of them were getting restless. They'd spend a lot of time working out, sparring, throwing stuff at each other, and frankly Iori was getting bored of it. He had found some paper and decided to spend a few hours working on a new melody. It was a good break from the constant insanity, so Iori wasn't appreciative of the interruption.

"No, seriously. You gotta explain something."

Iori rolled his eyes and looked up. Kyo was wearing a grimace.

"What."

"Saw some security footage of you gnawing on frozen steaks. What the fuck man."

"Oh."

"Care to explain?"

"Not really. Leave."

* * *

 _Riot best boi_

UwU


End file.
